Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
Right now, North Carolina is simply untouchable.
The unquestioned No. 1 team in the nation reinforced its standing atop the Nike / US Lacrosse Magazine Division I Women’s Top 20, dismantling No. 2 Syracuse 17-6 at UNC’s Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels are now 11-0.
The first 10 minutes of play were hardly indicative of how the game would turn out. Syracuse (6-1, 4-1 ACC) were connecting from everywhere. After Meaghan Tyrrell and Scottie Rose Growney traded goals to begin the contest, Sam Swart, Megan Carney and Tyrrell each scored in a three-goal run that resulted in a 4-1 lead for the Orange.
.@CuseWLAX with that early lead on UNC pic.twitter.com/NSgeXZ47uU
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 3, 2021
It was not a sign of things to come.
North Carolina scored the next 10 goals to take an 11-4 lead, highlight by a spin move and finish by Jamie Ortega that made it 8-4.
Jamie Ortega in the middle? Yeah, that’s automatic.
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 3, 2021
Ortega enters the cycle and @uncwlax is absolutely rolling after a slow start. pic.twitter.com/eOPPTt4dzC
Tyrrell (four goals) broke the run with a rip across her body from left to right, and although it stopped the bleeding, it was far too late. North Carolina closed the game by scoring 16 of the last 18 goals.
Taylor Moreno was a rock, making 11 saves. (She recently appeared on the first episode of “No Boundaries” with Dana Boyle, a new YouTube show presented by US Lacrosse Magazine that dives into the personalities of women’s lacrosse.)
Offensively, Ortega paced the Tar Heels with five goals and three assists. Katie Hoeg was right behind her with three goals and four assists. Scottie Rose Growney scored four times, and Ally Mastroianni had two goals and two assists.
If there were any questions about the separation between North Carolina and Syracuse at Nos. 1 and 2, those questions are now answered. The super team constructed by Jenny Levy this offseason has fired on all cylinders, running roughshod over every team that stands in its path.
The only question now is what a UNC-Northwestern matchup might look like. Because the Big Ten is playing conference-only competition to minimize travel and exposure due to COVID-19, that’s a matchup we might not see until the NCAA tournament.
It will surely be worth the wait.