Third time’s the charm for North Carolina.
After BC knocked the Tar Heels out of the last two national tournaments, North Carolina finally got its revenge on the third try, beating the Eagles, 12-11. The Tar Heels are the DI women's lacrosse national champions for the third time since 2013. They also complete the undefeated season, finishing 22-0.
It just didn’t always look so certain.
Boston College took momentum back from North Carolina in the third quarter. NCAA all-time leading scorer Charlotte North, who finished the afternoon with four goals, led the Eagles back from a 7-5 deficit to get BC its first lead of the game at 8-7.
What a goal by Ally Mastroianni to tie the game up late in the 3rd!
— UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) May 29, 2022
Tune into the last quarter of this one on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/IJHWgk8KGp
It didn’t last long, however, as Ally Mastroianni of North Carolina scored to tie the game, 8-8, with 48 seconds left in the third, setting up a chaotic final frame.
UNC and BC both notched two goals each in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to stay tied, 10-10.
Defense ➡️ offense for the lead!
— UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) May 29, 2022
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/rimqStTAAv
With the national title on the line, UNC jumped into the lead, 11-10, when Sam Geiersbach potted her third of the game. Her teammate, Scottie Rose Growney, gave the Tar Heels some extra insurance when she scored with 2:23 to play, giving UNC the commanding 12-10 advantage.
Cassidy Weeks got BC back to within one with 15 seconds left, but it wasn’t enough, as UNC won a final face-off and ran out the clock.
North Carolina controlled the first half of play, ending the first quarter with a three-goal lead and the second quarter with a two-goal advantage.
Geiersbach and Mastroianni led the way offensively for the Tar Heels. Geiersbach notched three goals and Mastroianni tallied two. Both had seven shots apiece.
UNC goalie Taylor Moreno stopped 11 shots. Her best sequence came in the final five minutes of the game, as she denied BC the ability to tie the game.
