• The top-ranked University of North Carolina women’s lacrosse team (17-0) will try for its sixth consecutive ACC championship and seventh overall when it hosts second-ranked Boston College (16-2) in the ACC Tournament final on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill.
• Carolina and BC have been the top two teams in the ACC and the national rankings throughout the 2022 season.
• The Tar Heels are the top seed in the ACC Tournament and beat No. 8 seed Pitt, 15-6, in the quarterfinals and fifth-seeded Notre Dame, 14-13 in the semifinals last weekend.
• Jamie Ortega needs four points to become the ACC’s career leader. She has 442 points entering Saturday’s game, and the record is 445 (set by Jen Adams of Maryland from 1998-2001).
• The ACC Network will televise the game, with Jay Alter (play-by-play), Sheehan Stanwick Burch (analyst) and Dana Boyle (sideline) on the call.
• Tickets are available now at a cost of $10 for adults 18 and over. Children 17 and under are free, as are UNC students.
Carolina Seeks Sixth Consecutive ACC Title & Seventh Overall
• Carolina has an all-time record of 34-18 in ACC Tournament play and captured its fifth conference title in a row in 2021.
• The Tar Heels have won six ACC championships (2002, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021).
• UNC is seeking its sixth ACC title in a row, which would tie the longest streak of consecutive titles in ACC history (with Maryland’s six straight from 2009-14).
• Carolina has won 17 consecutive ACC Tournament games, the longest streak in ACC Tournament history. UNC’s last ACC Tournament loss came in the 2015 title game to Syracuse.
• UNC’s six ACC titles are second-most in conference history. Maryland holds the record with 11.
• Head coach Jenny Levy is seeking her seventh ACC championship, which would pass Cathy Reese of Maryland for the most in ACC history.
• Carolina has reached the ACC championship game seven years in a row, 11 times in the last 12 years and 15 times overall (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022). The 15 ACC title-game appearances are the most in history.
• The Tar Heels are the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament for the ninth time. Carolina is 16-5 all-time as the No. 1 seed, winning titles in 2016, 2017 and 2021.
• UNC is 13-0 all-time in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
• Carolina is 15-10 in the ACC semifinals. The Tar Heels have won 11 of their last 12 ACC semifinal games.
• UNC is 6-8 in ACC Tournament finals, winning in 2002 over Maryland, 2016, 2017 and 2021 over Syracuse and 2018 and 2019 over Boston College.
Tar Heel Hot Streaks
Carolina has:
• Won 17 consecutive ACC Tournament games, the longest streak in the event’s history
(last loss: 2015 final to Syracuse)
• Won five consecutive ACC Tournament titles—the second-longest streak in the event’s history (behind Maryland’s six straight from 2009-14).
• Won 30 consecutive home games
(last loss: 8-14, 3/23/19 vs. Boston College)
• Won 18 consecutive road games
(last loss: 7-9, 3/31/19 at Notre Dame)
• Won 40 consecutive regular season games
(last loss: 7-9, 3/31/19 at Notre Dame)
• Won 22 consecutive regular season ACC games
(last loss: 7-9, 3/31/19 at Notre Dame).
• Won 44 of its last 45 games
• Won 52 of its last 54 games
• Won 10 ACC regular season championships, including five of the last seven (beginning in 2015, excluding the COVID year of 2020 and including 2022)
10x ACC Regular Season Champ
• Carolina (8-0 in the ACC) won its 10th ACC regular season championship in 2022 (1998, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022).
• This is Carolina’s seventh outright ACC regular season title (1998, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022).
• Carolina has won 22 consecutive ACC regular season games.
Series History vs. the Eagles
• Carolina leads the all-time series with Boston College, 19-6.
• UNC is 9-2 in home games against the Eagles. The teams have split the last four meetings in Chapel Hill (since 2015).
• Carolina is 6-0 against BC in the ACC Tournament, including 2-0 in ACC finals (wins in 2018 in Durham, N.C., and 2019 in Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
• Carolina has won 52 of its last 54 games overall (a run that began on April 6, 2019). The only two Tar Heel losses during their last 54 games both came to Boston College (in the 2019 and 2021 NCAA Tournament semifinals in Baltimore and Towson, Md., respectively).
• The Tar Heels and Eagles have met at least twice in each of the last five seasons (excluding the 2020 season, which ended prematurely because of the Covid-19 pandemic), often meeting in either the ACC Tournament or NCAA final four (or both) in addition to the regular season.
• Earlier this season on March 20 at BC, the Tar Heels edged the top-ranked Eagles, 16-15 (see more details below).
• The two teams split a pair of meetings in 2021. UNC dominated in a 21-9 win in Chapel Hill in the regular season on March 6. BC beat Carolina, 11-10, in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in Towson, Md., handing the Tar Heels (20-1) their only loss of the 2021 season.
• The two teams didn’t play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season because of Covid-19.
• In 2019, they met three times. The Eagles won, 14-8, in Chapel Hill in the regular season, and Carolina returned the favor by beating BC, 15-13, in the ACC championship game in Chestnut Hill. BC took the rubber match in double overtime, a 15-14 decision in an NCAA semifinal played in Baltimore, Md.
• In 2018, the Eagles beat the Tar Heels in Newton, Mass., in the regular season and Carolina beat the Eagles in the ACC Tournament championship game in Durham, N.C.
Earlier This Season at BC
• Carolina went on a 6-0 run in the second and third quarters and held off a furious Boston College rally, beating the defending NCAA champion Eagles, 16-15, in a matchup of the nation’s top two teams on March 20 at Alumni Stadium.
• Graduate transfer Andie Aldave had four goals on five shots to lead the way for the Tar Heels, who won their 35th consecutive regular season game. Fellow transfer Olivia Dirks also came up big for Carolina, tallying two goals, two assists and a team-high five draw controls.
• Grad transfer attacker Sam Geiersbach finished with two goals and two assists. Jamie Ortega had a goal and two assists. Ally Mastroianni and Elizabeth Hillman both scored twice, with Mastroianni adding five draw controls and scoring a key goal with 11:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, the only UNC goal in BC’s 6-1 run to close the game.
• The Tar Heel defense held BC scoreless for a span of 21:05, including the entirety of the second quarter, as UNC seized control of the game.
Tar Heel Tidbits
Team
• Scoring Run: Carolina has scored 10 or more goals in 53 of the last 54 games (a run that began on April 6, 2019). The exception was the 2021 ACC Tournament final vs. Syracuse (nine).
• UNC has won 44 of its last 45 games.
• Carolina has won 52 of its last 54 games overall (a run that began on April 6, 2019). The only two Tar Heel losses during the last 54 games came to Boston College in the 2019 and 2021 NCAA Tournament semifinals.
• The Tar Heels have won 40 consecutive regular season games, the longest streak in school history. (last regular season loss was in 2019).
• Carolina has won 30 home games in a row, the longest home winning streak in school history.
• UNC has won 19 consecutive road games, the longest road winning streak in school history.
• The current Tar Heel senior class (2018-22) has posted a record of 78-9 in five seasons.
• Vs. Ranked Teams: In 2022, Carolina is 11-0 vs. top-25 teams, 5-0 vs. top-10 teams and 3-0 vs. top-five teams.
• Among the NCAA’s Best: The Tar Heels are third in the nation and second in the ACC in shooting percentage (.503), second in the nation and tops in the ACC in assists (9.35 per game), second and second in scoring offense (17.35) and fourth and first scoring margin (8.76). Carolina leads the nation in points per game (26.71).
• The 2022 Tar Heels are the highest-scoring team in program history. Carolina is averaging 17.35 goals per game this season, ranking second in the nation. The UNC school record is 15.90, set in 2017.
• Carolina has scored at least 15 goals in 15 of 17 games this season and has scored 20 or more six times.
• UNC has led entering the fourth quarter in every game this season.
• The Tar Heels are allowing 8.59 goals per game in 2022, the ACC’s best and the nation’s seventh-best scoring defense.
• With a long list of recent All-America defenders and goalies in Chapel Hill under the tutelege of defensive coordinator Phil Barnes, Carolina’s defense has held its opponents to single-digit goals in 33 of its last 44 games (since the start of the 2020 season).
Individual Tidbits
• Andie Aldave scored a career-high six goals against Louisville on March 13 and scored four goals in the win at No. 1-ranked Boston College on March 20.
• Graduate transfer Sam Geiersbach (Richmond) has 23 goals and 22 assists in the last 14 games, providing instant offense (3.21 ppg in that span) off the bench.
• Scottie Rose Growney is second on the team with 46 goals and tied for second with 63 points.
• Growney has scored at least two goals in 15 of 17 games this season.
• Caitlyn Wurzburger leads the team and leads the ACC with 35 assists. She is tied for second on the UNC team with 63 points.
• Junior defender Emily Nalls tied the school record with 10 ground balls at High Point and earned second-team All-ACC honors in a breakout 2022 season. Nalls leads UNC with 18 caused turnovers and 38 ground balls and is second with 49 draw controls.
• Head coach Jenny Levy has more wins (record of 390-118) and more ACC regular season wins (96-33) than any coach in ACC history.
#1 In The National Polls
• Carolina is ranked No.1 in the ILWomen/IWLCA rankings for the seventh week in a row. UNC took over the top spot on March 21 after its win at previously-top-ranked Boston College.
• UNC had been ranked No. 2 nationally in every poll this season prior to winning at BC.
All-ACC Honors
• Four Tar Heels earned first-team All-ACC honors for 2022, all for the second consecutive year: midfielder Ally Mastroianni, goalie Taylor Moreno, attacker Jamie Ortega and defender Emma Trenchard. Moreno, Ortega and Trenchard were named first-team All-ACC for the third year in a row.
• Defender Emily Nalls and attacker Caitlyn Wurzburger grabbed second-team All-ACC accolades.
• Brooklyn Walker-Welch was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team
Tar Heels Streaking at Dorrance
• Carolina has won 30 consecutive home games at Dorrance Field, the longest home winning streak in program history.
• UNC’s last loss at home came on March 23, 2019, to Boston College.
ACC Dominance
• Carolina is 66-6 in its last 72 games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents (regular season and postseason) and has won five consecutive ACC Tournaments.
• UNC’s five straight ACC titles are the second-longest streak in the event’s history (behind Maryland’s six straight from 2009-14).
• UNC’s 17 consecutive ACC Tournament wins are the longest streak in the history of the tournament.
• Since a loss in the 2015 ACC Tournament final, UNC’s only losses to conference foes have come to Boston College (four times), Syracuse (once, in 2017) and Notre Dame (once, in 2019).
Ortega Rewriting Record Books
• Attacker Jamie Ortega is rewriting the UNC, ACC and NCAA record books in 2022 and is almost certain to earn All-America honors for a fifth consecutive season.
• Ortega is third in NCAA history with 442 points, five behind second place and all-time ACC leader Jen Adams of Maryland (1998-2001), who had 445.
• Ortega is Carolina’s career leader in goals and points and is third in school history in assists.
• Ortega has 442 points in 86 career games for a UNC-record 5.14 points per game. Katie Hoeg is second with 370 points in 89 games (4.16 ppg).
• Ortega needs:
– Four points to become the ACC’s career points leader (she has 442; record is 445 by Jen Adams of Maryland)
– Four points to pass Adams for second place in NCAA history in career points.
• Ortega has scored at least one goal in 50 of the last 51 games. Her 50-game streak came to an end in the ACC semifinal win over Notre Dame on May 1.
• Ortega has scored multiple goals in 76 of 86 career games (88.4 percent).
• Her 321 career goals are third in NCAA history and second in ACC annals. Current BC attacker Charlotte North is first in ACC history with 338 goals.
• Ortega has scored five or more goals 31 times in 86 career games (36.0 percent).
• Ortega has tallied at least one point in 80 consecutive games and 85 of 86 in her career.
Mastroianni Excelling in Midfield
• Graduate student midfielder Ally Mastroianni won the 2021 ACC Midfielder of the Year award but might be having an even better season as a graduate student in 2022. She has been at her best in big games and earned first-team All-ACC honors for the second consecutive year.
• Mastroianni is tied for the team lead with four game-winning goals.
• She tied her career high with four goals in the April 21 win over Duke that clinched the top seed in the ACC Tournament.
• In the April 14 win at Virginia, she scored a game-high four goals (tying her career high) and had eight draw controls.
• In the March 20 win at top-ranked Boston College, she had two goals (including the game-winner) and five draw controls.
• She tied her career high with four goals and set a new career high with five points in UNC’s 20-9 win over No. 6 Northwestern on March 6.
• She leads Carolina with 105 draw controls this season. She also led UNC with a career-high 112 DCs in 2021, earning unanimous first-team All-America honors.
• She was among three Tar Heels and 52 ACC student-athletes selected as 2021 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients. Chris Gray (men’s lacrosse), Rachel Jones (women’s soccer) and Mastroianni (women’s lacrosse) were part of the list of conference honorees announced on March 24.
• Mastroianni, from Martinsville, N.J., earned a degree in 2021 with a double major in media & journalism and communication studies. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in media and communication while also spearheading UNC’s community service efforts off the field.
Moreno Snaps UNC Career Wins Record
• Graduate student goalie Taylor Moreno has a career record of 65-6 in the cage and became Carolina’s all-time leader in goalie wins on Feb. 16 against Furman.
• Moreno eclipsed the wins record of Caylee Waters (2014-17), who had 49 career victories. Waters is a volunteer assistant coach for the 2022 Tar Heels.
• Moreno has started 71 consecutive games in the cage for the Tar Heels, beginning with the final five games of the 2018 season.
• Moreno leads the ACC in save percentage and goals against average.
• Moreno has five games with 10+ saves this season, including a season-high 16 (one off her career high of 17) in the April 2 win over Notre Dame and 12 in the ACC semifinal win at Notre Dame.
• Moreno has 22 career games with 11 or more saves, including five in 2021 and five in 2022.
• Moreno is a three-time ACC Defensive Player of the Week and won IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week honors on April 5.
• In 2021, Moreno finished second in the nation in goals against average (a career-best 6.65) and save percentage (a career-high .549). Her goals-against average was nearly three goals per game better than her career average entering the 2021 season (9.12).
• She is a two-time ACC Tournament MVP (2018, 2021) and three-time first-team All-ACC pick (2019, 2021, 2022).
• In the 2021 ACC Tournament, she earned MVP honors for the second time after leading the Tar Heels to three wins. Moreno allowed just 4.78 goals per game in three UNC victories, posting a save percentage of .611.
Tewaaraton Award Nominee List Includes Four Tar Heels
• Four UNC players, most of any school in the nation, led the 25-player nominee list for the 2022 Tewaaraton Award, the top individual honor in lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Foundation announced in late April.
• Tar Heels Ally Mastroianni (midfield), Taylor Moreno (goalie), Jamie Ortega (attack) and Emma Trenchard (four) all made the list for the second year in a row. Moreno and Ortega both were among the five finalists for the 2021 Tewaaraton Award.
• Seven Tar Heels had made the Tewaaraton watch list: Olivia Dirks, Mastroianni, Moreno, Emily Nalls, Ortega, Trenchard and Caitlyn Wurzburger.
Six Tar Heels On US National Team
• Head coach Jenny Levy and her staff have named the final 18-player roster that will represent the United States in this summer’s World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, and six of the players are current or former UNC players who played as Tar Heels for Levy.
• The six Carolina players, most of any school in the nation, include goalie Caylee Waters (UNC ’17), fifth-year senior defender Emma Trenchard (’22), graduate student midfielder Ally Mastroianni (’21), midfielder Marie McCool (’18), midfielder Emily Parros (’13) and attacker Molly Hendrick (’17).
Last Year
• Carolina went 20-1 overall in 2021, including 9-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, won its fifth consecutive ACC championship and made its 12th appearance in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament final four.
• The Tar Heels made their ninth final four appearance in the last 12 NCAA Tournaments (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021).