Back in May, the University of North Carolina’s women’s lacrosse team won the NCAA D1 women’s lacrosse title in Baltimore, Maryland. Going against last year’s championship winners Boston College, UNC put up a fight and, rightfully so, won. 

The Top-ranked Tarheels concluded the season with a 22-0 win, setting a school record for wins and becoming the first undefeated national championship since 2017 (Maryland). 

Against two-time Tewaaraton Award winner Charlotte North, who also happens to be NCAA’s all-time goal scorer leader, North will be moving on to lead the U.S. women’s national lacrosse team this year. 

However, North’s skills along with the entire BC team weren’t enough to keep up with #1 ranked UNC. 

Below is a recap of the intense game, and how Boston came up short to the undefeated champs.

At the start of the fourth quarter, former attacker and now-graduated Sam Geiersbach scored the first goal of the game, setting the game off right for UNC. 

Four minutes later, Geiersbach found the back of the net again, with Rachel Hall, BC’s goalie, almost barely saving it.

As always, Charlotte North came rolling in once BC gained position. Mid-quarter, North achieved two goals just minutes after Geiersbach’s. One of the shots was assisted by Caitlynn Mossman.

Less than a minute later, UNC won the draw, carried down the field by Ally Mastroianni. Seconds later, Emily Nalls found Andie Aldave, and with a fake to the left, Aldave scored a goal for the Tarheels.

To secure their lead even more, UNC scored twice, one by Mastroianni and another by Olivia Dirks. The score now read 5-2. (UNC)

At the start of the second quarter, UNC’s Emily Nalls won the draw, carrying it down the field only to lose to a turnover by BC. 

Less than two minute’s after, attacker Cassidy Weeks scored a goal against UNC, making the score 5-3. 

Neither one of these teams scored for a solid eight minutes. The stands surrounding the Homewood Field in Baltimore waited in anticipation as the two teams went back and forth, attempting to score only for it to be saved. 

However, in a span of two minutes, UNC’s attacker Jamie Ortega came in with a  free possession shot and, only seconds after, BC’s Jenn Medjid cut by the 8 meter and scored a nice goal over Taylor Moreno, UNC’s goalie’s, head. 

Like before, the two teams did not score for a portion of the game after that. Though, once UNC was man up due to a foul against midfielder Belle Smith, Caitlyn Wurzburger took advantage and scored a nice shot to the left corner. 

Nevertheless, once BC was even again, Weeks came in and scored her second goal of the game for BC. 

Shortly after, once BC transitioned up the field, midfielder Cassidy Hall once again scored for BC, ending the second quarter with a score of 7-5 (UNC). 

The majority of the third quarter consisted of BC coming back from the previous score of 7-5. Players such as Medjid and North awarded BC three goals and, for a moment, was winning 8-7. However, Mastroianni ended the quarter with one goal, causing the score to change to 8-8 (tie). 

At the start of the fourth quarter, it was a rat race to win the championship title. The score shifted up and down as the shot clock ticked. With only 90 seconds per possession, either team has limited time to set up a play and/or get a shot off. 

BC’s Kayla Martello started the quarter off right with a clear lane to the cage, planting the ball in the back of the net swiftly. 

Shortly after, Dirks assisted Ortega, tying the game up once again (9-9). 

Minutes after, once UNC’s goalie Taylor Moreno saved Mckenna Davis’s shot, the ball was transitioned up the field and, in seconds, a goal was scored by Nicole Humphrey, assisted by Aldave. 

To tie the game up (for the third time), BC’s Belle Smith scored a goal. The score now read 10-10.  

With five minutes left in the game, the crowd watched in eagerness, but also fear. Who will become the champion? Who will have to face the loss? 

For the next five minutes, before the clock hit two minutes, two shots were made by UNC players Geiersbach and Scottie Rose Growney. With a 12-10 game point advantage, BC’s fans watched in worry as BC attempted to bounce back from UNC’s two goals. 

With 15 seconds left in the game, Cassidy Weeks scored her third goal of the game, though it was not enough for BC to win. 

As the clock struck 0:00, UNC players and coaches ran out to the field, jumping and screaming in pure joy. After over an hour of playing, UNC fell in satisfaction knowing they were the champions of the NCAA D1 Women’s Lacrosse League. 

As for BC, they put up a great game, maybe even one of the best. This game will definitely go down in women’s lacrosse history as one of the most riveting, goosebump-causing games of all time. 

In the future, I, as well as many other fans, cannot wait to see who will make the next championship for the NCAA women’s lacrosse title. Will UNC once again be undefeated? Or will BC come in and win the title back again, like years before? 

Link to the full game on Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Er8EsxM83o

Stats from the Game: 

https://www.ncaa.com/game/5996779/play-by-play

Game highlights: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5wuWRwap-M