The No. 1 UNC women’s lacrosse team is no stranger to ACC Tournament success. The Tar Heels have the longest-ever streak of consecutive ACC Tournament wins with 17, and they will be seeking their sixth consecutive ACC title on Saturday.
Despite the team’s consistent success, North Carolina is always learning.
The Tar Heels traveled to South Bend, Ind. for the quarterfinals after receiving a bye for the first round of the tournament.
“We hadn't gotten in until 1:30 on Thursday morning,” head coach Jenny Levy said. “I knew that we would be playing tired, and I thought we did a really good job with that.”
Top-seeded North Carolina started their tournament run with a dominant 15-6 victory over No. 8 seed Pitt. Fifth-year attacker Scottie Rose Growney had five goals and fellow fifth-year attacker Jamie Ortega had three. However, the Tar Heels admit their performance against the Panthers was not perfect. The Tar Heels had ten turnovers and struggled to turn their shot attempts into goals due to impressive saves by Panther goalie Paulina DiFatta.
“We definitely didn't play our best lacrosse against Pitt,” graduate attacker Andie Aldave said. “We came out a little bit flat. So for us, I think it was good to have that experience. We won, but I think we learned a lot.”
After the learning experience of the Pitt game, the Tar Heels had to prepare to face off against No. 5 seed Notre Dame. Not only did the Fighting Irish have a home-field advantage, but they were also coming off a win against No. 4 seed Duke.
“You just have to understand that you've got to match their energy, and that the game will be emotional,” Levy said. “You know that in the stands, there will be a lot of energy coming from the home team. I just love putting my team in that situation.”
Notre Dame was quick to apply the pressure in Sunday’s semifinal match, scoring the first five goals of the game. The Tar Heels scored twice before the end of the first quarter but still found themselves facing a three-goal deficit.
