The last time Boston College was undefeated going into the state of North Carolina, the Eagles (10-0, 1-0 ACC) flew home empty-handed following the 2018 ACC final. The Tar Heels (8-1, 1-0 ACC) would like to repeat that history on Saturday.
The matchup features two of the top five teams in draw control percentage: Boston College (3rd, 67.1%), UNC (5th, 63.2%). As is the case for every opponent, the Tar Heels will look to slow down All-American Sam Apuzzo all over the field, but specifically at the draw. Apuzzo leads the ACC with 8.9 per game, which rates fourth nationally.
Enter, UNC’s Ally Mastroianni.
The sophomore out of New Jersey has a team-best 30 controls and is preparing for her toughest assignment yet in Apuzzo. She is not without help, however, as six Tar Heels have at least 10 draw controls this year. Along with Mastroianni there’s Gianna Bowe (19 draws), Brooklyn Neumen (15), Ida Farinholt (13), Scottie Rose Growney (12), Kara Klages (11) and Kayla Wood (10), which is an unusually deep group on a special teams unit.
That type of competition and diversity breeds overall team success.
“We switch it up a lot, we work hard together,” Mastroianni said. “[Ida and I] do the draw against each other a lot. We try different things against each other and make each other better every day. Gianna and Kara are seniors, so they lead and communicate on the circle.”
NO. 1 BOSTON COLLEGE AT NO. 3 NORTH CAROLINA
WHEN: Saturday, March 23, Noon
WATCH: ACC Network Extra
Only twice this season have the Tar Heels lost the battle in the draw circle: the count was 17-16 in favor of Northwestern (UNC won 21-11) and Virginia gained a 16-11 advantage (UNC won 13-12 in overtime). The unit bounced back in wins over Florida and Campbell.
Mastroianni isn’t one to be overwhelmed by an assignment either. Earlier this year, she pulled down a career-high 10 draws at Maryland in what was UNC’s toughest game to date.
“That was a great game,” Mastroianni said of her draw unit, who won 21-of-31 draws that game. “I think our circle people worked hard. There’s three of us. Everyone contributes and everyone plays their role. When everyone sticks to their roles everyone benefits. That will be a crucial point for this game as well.”
Going up against arguably the nation’s best player and the nation’s top-ranked team excites Mastroianni.
“She is a great player,” Mastroianni said of Apuzzo. “I have a lot of respect for her. I just know that every draw will be a battle… I think we have a great opportunity to show what we can do. I think we’re hungry. We know they’re the number one team, but that doesn’t matter. We’re not intimidated, we have a lot of respect. We’re excited.”
In last year’s 17-11 loss at Boston College, Apuzzo and the Eagles won 17-of-27 draws. Possession and efficient scoring led the Eagles past the Tar Heels. Two months later, the script flipped: North Carolina won the circle battle 16-11 and the game 14-11 to claim the ACC Tournament title. That day it was Marie McCool’s 11 draws that guided UNC. A fellow New Jersey native, Mastroianni looked up to McCool.
“She’s always been a role model for me,” Mastroianni said. “She helped me out a lot on so many things as a midfielder. She really led me through things on the draw.”
Now it’s Mastroianni’s turn with her teammates to see if they can again topple the undefeated and No. 1 ranked Boston College Eagles.
Other games highlighting the weekend include:
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No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 4 Syracuse
Sunday, 12 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Notre Dame (7-0, 2-0 ACC) is in the top 10 for the first time this season after toppling Virginia last week on the road. Another tough road test awaits the Irish in fourth-ranked Syracuse (9-2, 2-1 ACC). Notre Dame has been clinical on defense with a top-rated 5.63 goals against per game going against Syracuse’s 14th-ranked offense (14.82 goals per game). With the Syracuse women’s basketball team hosting the NCAA tournament this weekend and a winter storm expected on Saturday, the Orange are hosting the game on Sunday outside at Christian Brothers Academy instead of the Carrier Dome. -
No. 17 Florida at No. 19 Stony Brook
Saturday, 11:30 a.m., AmericaEast.tv
Following a stretch of three losses in four games, it seems Stony Brook (4-3, 1-0 America East) has steadied the ship with dominating wins over UMBC and Cornell. It’s good timing as it welcomes a hungry Florida squad (3-6) on a three-game losing streak. The Gators dropped those three games by a total of five goals to a trio of top-ranked teams. The Gators have yet to string together any type of momentum this season, but senior Lindsey Ronbeck has been terrific. She’s amassed 36 goals (4 per game) with notable performances against the best teams: eight tallies vs. Maryland and five against Syracuse and High Point.
MORE GAMES ON OUR RADAR
All times are listed in ET. For a full list of broadcast games, please visit our US Lacrosse TV listing page.
THURSDAY, MARCH 21
5 p.m.
No. 2 Maryland at Penn State (ESPNU)
7 p.m.
No. 10 Michigan at Ohio State (BTN)
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
1 p.m.
Cornell at No. 5 Penn (ESPN+)
No. 13 Duke at No. 8 Virginia (ACC Network Extra)
No. 11 Princeton at Brown (ESPN+)
Lehigh at No. 12 Loyola (Patriot League Network)
Rutgers at No. 16 Johns Hopkins (Hopkins)
Louisville at Virginia Tech (ACC Network Extra)
3 p.m.
Bucknell at No. 15 Navy (Patriot League Network)
Oregon at No. 20 Colorado (Pac-12 Plus)
Stanford at Arizona State (Pac-12 Plus)
8 p.m.
No. 9 Northwestern at Marquette
Cal at No. 14 USC (Pac-12 Plus)
SUNDAY, MARCH 24
12:30 p.m.
No. 2 Maryland at No. 8 James Madison (MadiZone)
3 p.m.
UC Davis at Georgetown (HoyaVision)