CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — North Carolina had a chance at redemption Sunday afternoon at Boston College. It was the Tar Heels’ first crack at a BC program that spoiled their undefeated season in 2021, and for the second straight NCAA tournament, prevented UNC from making the national title game.

The Tar Heels, who topped BC in the 2018 and 2019 ACC championship games, reclaimed bragging rights in front of 5,937 fans in Alumni Stadium — in large part thanks to a pair of transfers who weren’t part of either of those heartbreaking Final Four defeats.

Andie Aldave and Sam Geiersbach, additions from Notre Dame and Richmond, respectively, combined for five first-half goals and helped the Tar Heels to a four-goal halftime lead. That cushion grew to six, as was the case in the teams’ 2019 semifinal, until BC woke up. The Eagles erupted in the fourth quarter and gave Charlotte North a chance to send the game to overtime with under 30 seconds left.

But the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner was suffocated by a defense that came into the weekend ranked fifth nationally in goals against average. North Carolina prevailed 16-15.

“Unfortunately, against really good teams, you can’t wait 45 minutes into the game to play like you’re expected to play,” BC coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “Unfortunately, we did that today. And we had to climb out of a rut. Against a good team, that’s really hard to do.”

Top-ranked BC (8-1, 2-1 ACC) was in the driver’s seat in the early going. Graduate defender Melanie Welch had Caitlyn Wurzburger locked up from the X position. That defensive stand led to a Caitlynn Mossman’s game-opening goal on the other end. Soon after that, North used her patented windup to cash in on a free position shot.

The second-ranked Tar Heels (9-0, 3-0 ACC) didn’t let things get out of hand. In fact, they answered with a pair of goals in the span of 1:50. Penn State transfer Olivia Dirks scored the first unassisted. Aldave converted a Jamie Ortega pass into the second. It was one of two pop shots from Aldave in the first quarter. Both times, the graduate attacker slipped free inside the eight-meter arc.

Still, BC clung to a 4-3 lead by the end of the opening frame. The difference maker Sunday, however, was the second period.

“First quarter is kind of getting into the fabric of the game and then making some changes,” UNC coach Jenny Levy said. “We’ve got a mix of experience and youth out there. I thought they did a good job communicating and making the necessary adjustments.”

The Tar Heels kept BC scoreless in the frame. The only other team to hold the Eagles without a goal in a quarter this season was Denver, which did so during a game that was called early because of frigid temperatures. The weather wasn’t a factor Sunday afternoon. It actually felt like spring in Boston. But BC’s shot inaccuracy — just two shots on goal in the period — and struggles in the circle— UNC won 4 of 5 draws in the quarter — were both handicapping the Eagles offense.

An Ortega free position shot, which moved her into second all-time on the ACC’s career points list, tied the score. Then Aldave stole the lead with a rebound and score at the crease’s doorstep.

Geiersbach was the star of the quarter, though. She scored two goals with the same spin move parallel to the pipes. She first burned Hollie Schleicher. Next, she beat another BC defender, Hunter Roman.

WHAT A MOVE

Sam Geiersbach spun around the defense to give the Tar Heels a 2 goal lead over Boston College!

: https://t.co/IzuigEpuVW pic.twitter.com/cvNchOAFJd

— UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) March 20, 2022

UNC’s transfer duo accounted for more than half of the team’s scoring output in the first half. Walker-Weinstein wasn’t surprised but called their performance “unbelievable.”

“They’re working within our offense,” Levy said. “Our offense is unselfish and pretty dynamic. I think we had nine goal-scorers today. And they’re a part of that.”

The Tar Heel run stopped at 6-0. That’s when BC first chipped away at its deficit. Four different Eagles found the back of the net in the next few minutes. North and her partner-in-crime, Jenn Medjid, were part of the scoring outburst.

Winning six of the quarter’s first seven draws helped, but North also credited assistant coach and all-time program great Sam Apuzzo for the offensive turnaround.

“Sam was just calling into plays and reading what their defense was doing throughout the game,” North said. “We started to figure out how they were sliding, how they were playing us and areas to attack.”

After making up ground, the Eagles lost some again. UNC, only up 10-8 at the time, closed the period on a 3-1 run that featured an Aldave scoop-and-score and the second of two Elizabeth Hillman goals.

BC’s game-changing, and nearly game-saving, 7-1 fourth-quarter run was kickstarted by a Medjid stop-and-go move that dropped UNC defender Emily Nalls. The highlight-reel play was followed by a charging Kayla Martello goal.

A Dirks draw control and subsequent Ally Mastroianni goal silenced BC fans. But only for a few minutes. That’s when the Eagles scored three goals in less than two minutes to make it a two-possession game.

Here come the

Charlotte North splits two defenders and scored, putting @BCwlax down 16-14 pic.twitter.com/5GZUJ8oYab

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) March 20, 2022

BC pulled within one with 67 seconds to go, courtesy of tick-tack-toe passing that resulted in Mossman feeding Martello for the sophomore’s hat trick.

North won the ensuing draw, her seventh of the day, and had the ball behind the cage for one last 1-v-1 with UNC fifth-year defender Emma Trenchard. North wrapped around, but before she could get a shot off, she was trapped by Brooklyn Walker-Welch and lost the ball.

“Unfortunately, I think we made some mental errors, starting with me,” North said. “We wish we could have had those back.”

UNC ran out the clock, and the Tar Heels rushed the field in celebration.

Postgame, though, you wouldn’t know which team had won. Walker-Weinstein discussed needing a greater sense of urgency in the first half. Levy talked about studying the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter and how UNC let Sunday become a one-possession game.

That’s typical of national heavyweights. It’s why this rivalry has turned into one of the sport’s best over the last five years. And it’s why a game in March had a May-like atmosphere.

“Without that, you don’t get challenged to play your best,” Levy said.