No. 2 UNC women's lacrosse dismantles No. 9 Clemson, 18-5, on Saturday afternoon

The No. 2 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team (8-0, 4-0 ACC) cruised past the No. 9 Clemson Tigers (6-3, 2-2 ACC), 18-5, Saturday afternoon at Dorrance Field. 

The Tar Heels scored the first goal of the game and never trailed on their way to an 18-5 victory over the Clemson Tigers. The Tar Heels outperformed the Tigers in every aspect of the game from offense to defense, allowing them to dominate the game wire-to-wire. 

North Carolina started off strong with an early defensive stop followed by a late shot clock goal from redshirt first-year attacker Chloe Humphrey, assisted by her sister, graduate attacker Ashley Humphrey. After scoring the opening goal, the UNC’s lead grew thanks to goals scored by first-year midfielder Kate Levy and senior attacker Olivia Vergano, putting the Tar Heels up 3-0, a little more than halfway through the first quarter.  

North Carolina piled on two more goals, including a Humphrey sisters connection, giving UNC a commanding 5-0 lead. The North Carolina defense finished the quarter strong, holding the Tigers scoreless in the first quarter. 

The Tar Heels continued to put pressure on the Tigers as they controlled the opening draw of the second quarter. Shortly after, Chloe Humphrey scored a free-position goal, putting them up 6-0. 

Clemson attacker Kayla MacLeod put the Tigers on the board with 11:17 remaining in the quarter. The Tigers' run continued as they controlled the draw and forced a UNC turnover shortly, but the Tigers came up empty following two free-position saves by UNC sophomore goalie Betty Nelson.

The Tar Heels turned defense into offense as they scored two more goals following empty possessions for Clemson. Chloe Humphrey scored her third goal of the game, followed by a goal from first-year midfielder Eliza Osburn, giving the Tar Heels an 8-1 advantage. 

The Tigers fired back, scoring their second goal, but UNC’s redshirt sophomore Marissa White responded, scoring two quick goals that put the Tar Heels up 10-2 at the halfway mark. 

The Tar Heels picked up right where they left off following the half after junior attacker Kiley Mottice scored, extending the UNC lead to nine, which sparked a change in goal for Clemson. 

With 6:02 left in the third quarter, Chloe Humphrey lined up for a free-position attempt. She scored her fourth goal of the game but the officials determined an unsafe release, resulting in a yellow card that negated the goal. Clemson took advantage of the man-up power play when graduate attack Lexi Edmonds scored her first goal of the game. 

A series of defensive stops and saves by Nelson allowed the Tar Heels to hold Clemson to two goals during the third quarter while maintaining the 10-goal lead through the efforts of the UNC offense. 

The scoring party continued throughout the fourth quarter, as North Carolina scored four goals while holding Clemson to two goals and UNC won, 18-5. 

The Tar Heels return to action Thursday at 7pm when they face Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. 

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