No. 15 UNC women's lacrosse defeats No. 25 Duke, 16-11, to wrap up regular season

The No. 15 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team (10-5, 6-3 ACC) concluded its regular season Thursday with a 16-11 victory over No. 25 Duke (10-7,  4-5 ACC). 

The Blue Devils were the first to draw blood from a free-position rip to the back of the net. Olivia Dirks and Caroline Godine each popped one in to get UNC on the board.

North Carolina and Duke exchanged goals back and forth until the Tar Heels went on a three-goal spell to end the first quarter 6-3. The sequence consisted of crafty crease rolls and spin cycle moves from Dirks, and a pirouette-turned-punch from Kiley Mottice. 

After UNC’s Ashley Humphrey opened the second frame with a lefty double-clutch goal, the Blue Devils hit the back of the mesh three times to make the score 7-6. North Carolina and Duke each notched another goal before the halftime buzzer. 

UNC was hitting creative shots but lacked composure on defense, which kept the game close through the first 30 minutes of play.

“I think the biggest thing at halftime, we went in after a really good defensive set, and we’re like, ‘Listen, they’re scoring all their goals off the eight-meter and penalties,'" UNC head coach Jenny Levy said. “'So clean it up.'"

The Tar Heels did just that. Godine started the second half with a bouncer off a free-position shot, giving her a hat trick. After the Blue Devils tossed one in from the eight-meter arc, Godine dished off the last of her three assists of the evening to fellow sophomore Darcy Felter to bring the score to 10-8. 

The 85-degree weather didn’t seem to slow down the Tar Heels. Felter’s goal was the first in a UNC 6-1 run that lasted until the beginning of the fourth quarter. The stretch was highlighted by Tewaaraton Award-contender Caitlyn Wurzburger, whose back was to the goal as she hit a SportsCenter Top 10-worthy twizzler shot. 

UNC created separation in the third period by outshooting Duke 11-4. Felter said identifying contributors on both sides of the field has been an ongoing challenge due to injury. 

“Because we’ve been working through a lot of different personnel this year, just kind of making sure that we recognize who should be where and also that everyone can do everything,” Felter said.

North Carolina reached its largest lead of the game at 15-9 when Duke finally responded with an eight-meter make. In the final few minutes, UNC’s Liv Pikiell finished through contact for a hat trick and Duke scored off a center-hash free-position. 

Despite an evenly-matched first half, North Carolina found its footing by involving multiple players on offense. Eight Tar Heels scored on the night.

“Anyone on any given day is able to put it in the back of the net and show that you can’t really defend us,” Godine said. 

The Tar Heels have won the last 15 games against the Blue Devils, giving UNC an all-time 30-14 advantage. 

North Carolina is slated to face Virginia on Wednesday in the first round of the ACC tournament. The Tar Heels topped the Cavaliers 10-9 on February 23 in an overtime battle.

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