No. 6 UNC women's lacrosse bests No. 12 Florida with strong third quarter performance

As co-captain Alyssa Long stood in the halftime huddle moments before the third quarter began, the senior midfielder looked at her teammates.

The Tar Heels were barely holding on. With 30 minutes left to play, the No. 6 UNC women’s lacrosse team found itself tied with a physical No. 12 Florida team — a tie North Carolina secured late in the second quarter after clawing itself out of a three-point deficit.

With the Tar Heels’ first ranked win hanging in the balance on their home turf, Long took the proverbial mic. 

“It’s a game of runs,” Long said. “Let’s go out with the first punch. Let’s hit them first.”

During UNC’s 19-10 victory over the Gators on Saturday morning, the Tar Heels punched first in the second half. Not only did UNC take eight more shots than Florida in the third quarter — connecting on four — but the defense helped to suppress the Gators to one goal on a mere three shots taken. In every aspect, the Tar Heels took command.

Graduate attacker Ashley Humphrey delivered the first blow. After the Tar Heels won the draw control early in the third quarter, Humphrey picked up a ground ball from behind the net after a high shot attempt and circled the right side of the net. Barely clear of the goal post, Humphrey placed the ball high into the mesh. 

“The third quarter was the turning point, I think, of the game,” sophomore attacker Kiley Mottice said. 

To cue that turning point, head coach Jenny Levy made two adjustments. On the defensive end, Levy’s direction was simple: Stop committing fouls in the eight meter zone. 

The Tar Heels gave up 14 fouls in the first half alone and committed six major fouls within the eight-meter arc. In the foul-heavy matchup, the Gators secured six free position opportunities to achieve five of their eight goals in the first 30 minutes. To limit major fouls in the third quarter, the Tar Heels made Florida pass out of the dodge to force them to play on the backside of the field. As a result, the Gators only scored two goals in the second half.

Levy preached about poise on offense. To deliver those punches, the offense has to be steady. It has to have the right mix of players who know when to strike. 

To put more pressure on Florida, Levy placed more dodgers on the field, admitting her team did not do a great job there in the first half. With the dodgers on the field, the head coach assigned her players another simple task: Wait. 

As time ticked off the 90-second shot clock, the Tar Heels waited. They were looking. Watching. 

“We really focused on staying poised on offense and just taking our time and seeing the best look, not just the first one all the time," Mottice said. 

In the second half, the Tar Heels consistently found the back of the net late in the possession. By waiting for the best look, the offense stunted Florida’s ability to score while turning its own possessions into points. 

“We scored a lot of goals in the last 10 seconds of the shot clock, which I love when a team can do that,” Levy said. “There’s so much poise in that and confidence and trust in each other.” 

North Carolina scored four goals in the third quarter and held the Gators to one to take a 12-9 lead. By the end of the quarter, previously silent Tar Heel fans erupted in cheers, their worry of a loss gone. With Levy’s adjustments and Long’s 16-word speech, the Tar Heels became a different team in the second half — one that was more controlled and cohesive. 

They became a team that delivered the first punch and refused to relent until the knockout. 

@_emmahmoon

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