I told yall that Pattillo numbers were going to increase as a result of MW leaving and she is now starting. This is no surprise to me because Pattillo was the number 1 ranked player coming out of the 2024 class. Also, UNC has the number 1 class coming in next year for the 2026 class; therefore, you would expect them to have more All Americans in the high school ranks. There is a possible that the 2027 class could also be ranked number 1. They have the number 2 and number 3 players coming in and I am not mentioning the other ranked players in that class. Please do not compare the 2025 defense to this year's defense because as someone just stated they committee has made some changes to the rules on the defensive side where there are somethings they cannot do as opposed to last year in order to showcase the offensive side of the game. The commentator mentioned this yesterday. As I had started earlier Zink is still out. BWW just got back from injury these two alone will automatically make a defense that much better. I think some of yall have forgotten how good a goalie Zink is. She played a whole lot last year as a freshman. Jenny played her and Nelson throughout every game. That keep our goalies fresh and if one was having a bad game the other one would come in to replace her. This keep pressure on both goalies to perform to the standard. The defense is coming. People that were hurt at the beginning of the season are slowly coming back. The defense is going to get better, and they are going to be fine each game because they will get better game to game. Go Heels!
UNC Women’s Lacrosse 2025-2026
- Thread starter airball
- Start date
Who is in first? (Just kidding, I know.)
The new green card environment is definitely a good point on stat differentials last year vs this year.
I would add that refs are also allowing more continuation after penalty which is effectively giving players a free shot at goal similar to the men's game, especially on shooting space penalties.
I think last night's announcer called 3 of her goals for Eliza.
FWIW, my comments about the UNC defense are not intended to suggest a conclusion that there’s no room for improvement. The defense that they are playing requires a lot of coordination and cohesion (double teams, slides, recoveries, etc.); the defensive interactions improve as mutual playing time accumulates. I think they have finally arrived at who the top six defenders are going to be — BWW has just returned to the lineup and GraceAnn Leonard has become a bigger piece of the puzzle.
I think goalie play is the biggest concern right now. Betty Nelson might be regaining her confidence, but I would feel better if Lexi Zenk was available to play when needed.
With the schedule getting tougher, we should get some insight into where our defensive play stands very soon. Starting next Tuesday (3/17), in nine days we play three home games against ranked opponents:
3/17 Florida (5-2)
3/21 Boston College (4-4)
3/25 Northwestern (5-2)
All three will be challenging, but their results thusfar suggest that none of these teams is as strong as last season. Each team has struggled to replace players who graduated last season. It should be Interesting.
I think goalie play is the biggest concern right now. Betty Nelson might be regaining her confidence, but I would feel better if Lexi Zenk was available to play when needed.
With the schedule getting tougher, we should get some insight into where our defensive play stands very soon. Starting next Tuesday (3/17), in nine days we play three home games against ranked opponents:
3/17 Florida (5-2)
3/21 Boston College (4-4)
3/25 Northwestern (5-2)
All three will be challenging, but their results thusfar suggest that none of these teams is as strong as last season. Each team has struggled to replace players who graduated last season. It should be Interesting.
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I would also like to add that all teams are adjusting to the new defensive rules that are in place now. Jenny did mentioned this before the season started that all teams will have to get use to the changes that have been made on the defensive side. Does anyone know when Zink is coming back?
BC hung on to beat Pitt by 12-8. The same Pitt UNC beat by 19-3. BC lost by 11 to Duke.
BC still has some talent but it is no where near what they've had in the past. I've watched a couple of their games and safe to say if they beat UNC it'll be nothing short of a tremendous upset.
Florida, NW, and Stanford will be the toughest tests
BC still has some talent but it is no where near what they've had in the past. I've watched a couple of their games and safe to say if they beat UNC it'll be nothing short of a tremendous upset.
Florida, NW, and Stanford will be the toughest tests
Clemson beat Virginia 12-10 this afternoon, outscoring the Cavs 5-2 in Q4. Undefeateds UNC and Stanford are pulling away from the other ACC teams, all of which have at least two conference losses.
Tonight Stanford (5-0, 8-0) hosts Notre Dame (2-2, 6-2).
There are six remaining undefeated Division I Women’s lacrosse teams: UNC, Stanford, Maryland, Penn State, Navy and Yale.
Tonight Stanford (5-0, 8-0) hosts Notre Dame (2-2, 6-2).
There are six remaining undefeated Division I Women’s lacrosse teams: UNC, Stanford, Maryland, Penn State, Navy and Yale.
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FWIW - Of the remaining six undefeated women’s lacrosse teams, there seems to be the most skepicism about Penn State (9-0), which was ranked #18 in the most recent coaches’ poll.
The skepticism seems to be warranted - nearing the midpoint of Q2, the Nittany Lions trail Princeton (2-3) by a score of 2-10.
Halftime: Princeton 11-4.
PSU shaves 3 goals off the Princeton lead, trails 8-12 going into 4Q.
PSU scored the first three goals of Q4, trail 11-12.
And then there were five (undefeated teams): Princeton > Penn State 14-11.
The skepticism seems to be warranted - nearing the midpoint of Q2, the Nittany Lions trail Princeton (2-3) by a score of 2-10.
Halftime: Princeton 11-4.
PSU shaves 3 goals off the Princeton lead, trails 8-12 going into 4Q.
PSU scored the first three goals of Q4, trail 11-12.
And then there were five (undefeated teams): Princeton > Penn State 14-11.
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With 9:39 left in Q4, Ohio State and Northwestern are tied 13-13.
7:27 - 14 all
4:19 — OSU 15-14
2:03 — 15-15
1:05 — 16-15 (tOSU)
NW wins the draw - calls TO
FINAL: 16-15 tOSU
Northwestern falls to 5-3 with a 2-game losing streak
(FWIW - UNC beat tOSU 22-9)
The Buckeyes’ coach is Amanda Moore, who played lacrosse at Carolina.
7:27 - 14 all
4:19 — OSU 15-14
2:03 — 15-15
1:05 — 16-15 (tOSU)
NW wins the draw - calls TO
FINAL: 16-15 tOSU
Northwestern falls to 5-3 with a 2-game losing streak
(FWIW - UNC beat tOSU 22-9)
The Buckeyes’ coach is Amanda Moore, who played lacrosse at Carolina.
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I really wish they wouldn't schedule these mid-week games during the day. I would absolutely be there to see the FL game, but I have a job, you know.
Noon on a Tuesday IS strange.
It’s Fan Appreciation Day (Free Admission) - I‘m not sure free admission at noon is going to be much of an incentive.
That is what DVR and recording is for during the weekdays. You have to remember these are student athletes are they are still in college. They have to go to classes, etc. This is no different than going to your son's or daughter's middle school game in basketball or football, or high school game. The start times are all over the place. You just have to make the adjustments when you can go as well as go to the games in person when your job schedule allows it.
Watched some ND-Stanford last night. ND has a very good keeper, 1 fast defender whom they put in a zone, and 1 short-stature player who had a good nose for the goal. Otherwise they were not impressive. Kinda slow footed. Soft ride, mostly falling back to set their zone. Ball was in the ground a fair amount also.
Stanford was impressive in:
1. Pushing tempo with quick outlets, getting upfield fast/hard to create “numbers”, and passing upfield to take advantage of such
2. Finding open backside shooters
3. Actually having their attackers SET reasonably appropriately for fast breaks (my biggest hot button in today’s game, men AND women)
4. Finding backside shooters,
5. Finishing with well placed shots that from distance often changed plane.
6. Their attack does a decent job riding.
these are marks of very good coaching.
They have some athletes to execute also. Arceri is pretty impressive.
Not a lot of 1v1 wins or draw-and-dump scores by either team. But Stanford can play. As other big names lose (NU and BC), I don’t know who else fills in top 5, but will be fun to see. Maybe Clemson, PSU, Princeton? FL I shortcut will get better. Should be a fun season to see a fresh top 5!
Stanford was impressive in:
1. Pushing tempo with quick outlets, getting upfield fast/hard to create “numbers”, and passing upfield to take advantage of such
2. Finding open backside shooters
3. Actually having their attackers SET reasonably appropriately for fast breaks (my biggest hot button in today’s game, men AND women)
4. Finding backside shooters,
5. Finishing with well placed shots that from distance often changed plane.
6. Their attack does a decent job riding.
these are marks of very good coaching.
They have some athletes to execute also. Arceri is pretty impressive.
Not a lot of 1v1 wins or draw-and-dump scores by either team. But Stanford can play. As other big names lose (NU and BC), I don’t know who else fills in top 5, but will be fun to see. Maybe Clemson, PSU, Princeton? FL I shortcut will get better. Should be a fun season to see a fresh top 5!
Stanford won 17-11. Notre Dame was better in the 2nd qtr (that’s when I tuned out), maybe had trouble with travel legs, but Stanford appeared the more gifted team as Roy would say.
Chloe Humphrey: Unfiltered and Unstoppable
How the UNC phenom and USA wunderkind has prepared to meet this moment.
www.usalacrosse.com
great read
will be a crowded bubble for sure..BC is on the edge along side Duke. ND has enough "quality" wins and have an easier remaining schedule than BC and Duke
With all the new WLAX programs being added, shouldn't they expand the field? At least to 32?
Chloe has the same competitive drive as MJ, KB, EM, etc and the talent to match it. She is must watch tv. It was because of her and her sisters last year that I became a major lacrosse fan. I think Reese D'Ariano is going to be the next one in Field Hockey when she arrives at UNC. She has that same competitive drive. EM was the same way and she was the one who made me watch and fall in love with field hockey. I think Reese is going to take UNC and USA Field Hockey to another level and to greater heights. I cannot wait for her arrival at UNC. Go Heels!
This weekend, women’s lacrosse will be honoring the 2016 team which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its national championship, the UNC program’s second natty.
The 20-2 2016 team was very interesting. They lost two one-goal home games to Florida and Maryland early, and then proceeded to win the final 17 games of the season. But it wasn’t necessarily easy — 7 of the games in the 17-game streak were one-goal games and three went to overtime. The 15-14 win over ‘Cuse in the ACC tournament was perhaps the wildest lacrosse game I’ve ever seen. UNC went down two players late in the game and the Orange scored a controversial tying goal as time expired to send it to overtime where senior Aly Messenger scored the game winner.
In the NCAA tournament, the Heels survived a nerve-racking 12-11 victory over Penn State in the semifinals. In the final against undefeated Maryland (which beat UNC earlier in the year), UNC went out to a 6-1 lead, but the Terps closed to 6-4 at the half. Six and a half minutes into the second half, Maryland closed to within one at 6-7. From there, the Tar Heels steamrolled the Terps 6-1 to win 13-7.
Coach Levy’s comments about this team are amusing. She said it was a relatively quiet team and that quiet teams make her nervous. At the midpoint of the season the team seemed to decide that it wanted to win the national championship —and then proceeded to do it.
A couple of notable facts about the 2016 Heels: (1) they beat dook three times (very rare to play one team in the regular season, the ACC tourney, and the NCAA tourney) and (2) they won despite the absence of several star players. After an All-American season in 2015, Maggie Bill sat out the 2016 season. Junior Sydney Holman and freshman Olivia Ferrucci suffered season-ending knee injuries in the same 2016 midseason game. Holman was the 2014 national freshman of the year and Ferrucci was rated the #5 player in the 2016 freshman class and had started the season well.
This weekend’s honoring of this team is well-deserved.
The 20-2 2016 team was very interesting. They lost two one-goal home games to Florida and Maryland early, and then proceeded to win the final 17 games of the season. But it wasn’t necessarily easy — 7 of the games in the 17-game streak were one-goal games and three went to overtime. The 15-14 win over ‘Cuse in the ACC tournament was perhaps the wildest lacrosse game I’ve ever seen. UNC went down two players late in the game and the Orange scored a controversial tying goal as time expired to send it to overtime where senior Aly Messenger scored the game winner.
In the NCAA tournament, the Heels survived a nerve-racking 12-11 victory over Penn State in the semifinals. In the final against undefeated Maryland (which beat UNC earlier in the year), UNC went out to a 6-1 lead, but the Terps closed to 6-4 at the half. Six and a half minutes into the second half, Maryland closed to within one at 6-7. From there, the Tar Heels steamrolled the Terps 6-1 to win 13-7.
Coach Levy’s comments about this team are amusing. She said it was a relatively quiet team and that quiet teams make her nervous. At the midpoint of the season the team seemed to decide that it wanted to win the national championship —and then proceeded to do it.
A couple of notable facts about the 2016 Heels: (1) they beat dook three times (very rare to play one team in the regular season, the ACC tourney, and the NCAA tourney) and (2) they won despite the absence of several star players. After an All-American season in 2015, Maggie Bill sat out the 2016 season. Junior Sydney Holman and freshman Olivia Ferrucci suffered season-ending knee injuries in the same 2016 midseason game. Holman was the 2014 national freshman of the year and Ferrucci was rated the #5 player in the 2016 freshman class and had started the season well.
This weekend’s honoring of this team is well-deserved.
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That was an Epic team! I remember that season very well. Going into it i thought they had a chance to be really good. They were a young team the year before, coming off a close loss in the championship game against a stacked Maryland team. Most of the key players were returning. I was frustrated with the Florida and Maryland losses early because those were games i thought they should have won.
Then they went on that crazy run. They were battle tested and only grew in confidence the rest of the way. In that championship they put it all together and it was the first time in a long time that Maryland was dominated by an opponent on that level. It is even more impressive when you re-watch it. I believe that was a program defining season and victory that helped elevate UNC into an elite program.
That team was also the reason CH is a Tarheel. They deserve to be celebrated!
In addition to all the on field accolades for the 2016 Women's Team, one of the classiest things they did was to stick around after they won the National Championship to cheer the Men's Team on the next day against UM. They were visible and loud and it was an awesome optic for the Team and UNC as a whole. That was the best memory of a great Tar Heel Lacrosse season.
I was going to buy a ticket for the Final 4, but decided to see if UNC’s goal tending improves. Not ready to take the plunge yet.
2-2.
When you look at BC’s stats, their shooting percentage is .386, which is poor. So far today, they are shooting .667.
2-2.
When you look at BC’s stats, their shooting percentage is .386, which is poor. So far today, they are shooting .667.
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