Vol. 1: Led by UNC, ACC Off to the Races
North Carolina has allowed a combined 29 goals in five games, and the ACC is 21-4 through the first two weeks of play, with all but one of its teams ranked in the top 15.
Fifth-year attacker Katie Hoeg celebrates with her teammates during the top-ranked Tar Heels’ 13-6 win over No. 11 Duke on Feb. 26. Photo courtesy: UNC Athletics.
INTRODUCTION: Hi there! Quick on the Draw is a weekly newsletter about Division I college women’s lacrosse. Every Monday, I'll overview the best storylines, stars, and plays from the previous week. Analysis will be included, as I track the season’s development, national polls, and Tewaaraton candidates. Expect stats, graphics, and GIFs. To learn more, click here.
Two weeks into the season, No. 1 North Carolina has sprinted out to a 5-0 record, outscored its opponents, 74-29, and registered a trio of ranked victories.
Oh, and Jamie Ortega just set the program record for goals scored.
Ortega, who leads the country with 26 points, bested Abbey Friend’s goals record (198 goals from 2011-14) Sunday in her seven-point effort against Vanderbilt. She may be the Tewaaraton frontrunner, but she’s just one of UNC’s many stars.
Katie Hoeg actually tops the program’s all-time points list. And the fifth-year has piled up 24 more through five games. Senior Scottie Rose Growney is the third juggernaut on the Tar Heels’ show-stopping attack line. Yet it’s the depth that separates UNC.
Head coach Jenny Levy’s team returned all but one of its starters and 14 of its 17 goal scorers from a 2020 squad that was 7-0 and gunning for the program’s first national title since 2016. Not to mention the Tar Heels’ top-rated recruiting class and an impact transfer in USC midfielder Kerrigan Miller, who has five points so far.
Defensively, the combination of Emma Trenchard (9 GBs, 4 CTs), Catie Woodruff (9 GBs, 5 CTs), Caroline Wakefield (9 GBs, 9 CTs), and Emily Nalls (12 GBs, 4 CTs) has proved remarkably effective. UNC has held all five of its opponents to single digits, perhaps most notably keeping then-No. 6 Stony Brook and the dynamic pairing of Taryn Ohlmiller and Ally Kennedy in check. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Moreno has been rock solid in the cage, posting a .610 save percentage.
The Tar Heels wrap a six-game homestand Saturday against Boston College, one of six other ranked ACC teams trying to go toe-to-toe with the national favorite.
The ACC, a conference that has sent at least five teams to the last three NCAA Tournaments, has collectively stormed out to a 21-4 start this year. We covered UNC, but here’s how the rest of the league has fared so far:
No. 2 Syracuse (2-0): Dominant would be an understatement for Syracuse’s first two games. The Orange outscored Loyola and Stony Brook—two teams ranked in the top six of the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll—34-12. Sandwiched in between was the postponement of a matchup against Georgetown. This weekend, Syracuse pulled away from the Seawolves with a 9-1 run to end the first half. In just two outings, four players (namely upperclassmen Megan Carney and Sam Swart) have five-plus goals.
No. 4 Notre Dame (1-0): Samantha Lynch tied her career high with a team-best seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in Notre Dame’s season-opening win over Vanderbilt, en route to ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Yet, because of COVID-19 complications within the program, the Irish’s next four games were either canceled or postponed. Notre Dame, which returned one of the most experienced and suffocating defenses in the country, is slated to resume play against Virginia Tech this weekend.
No. 9 Virginia (3-0): The Cavaliers came into this year 18-19 in ACC play since reaching the Final Four in 2014. Head coach Julie Myers’ team is trying to get back to conference title contention, even without Sammy Mueller, who led UVA in points, ground balls, caused turnovers, and draws the past two years. It’s a tall task, however, the Cavaliers are off to the start they wanted. They locked up their first ACC victory Saturday against rival Virginia Tech in a game that featured six ties. Annie Dyson and Ashlyn McGovern each had hat tricks in the 12-10 win.
UVA midfielder Kiki Shaw, who scored twice during the Cavaliers’ 12-10 win over Virginia Tech on Feb. 27, rips a shot toward Angie Benson. Photo courtesy: UVA Athletics.
No. 10 BC (2-0): After losing Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault, and Kenzie Kent, the Eagles stumbled out of the gates last year. Not this time around. BC rolled over Albany in its season opener and took down No. 15 USC over the weekend, thanks to a combined seven goals from Charlotte North and Cara Urbank. The Eagles have also produced a pair of SportsCenter Top 10 plays, including a behind-the-back goal from North against USC. Freshman midfielder Belle Smith, who led the U.S. U-19 team in scoring during its 2019 world championship run, has chipped in five points as well.
No. 11 Duke (4-1): It’s no surprise Duke is where it is right now. Another program to bring back loads of experience, the Blue Devils returned their top-three scorers and 96% of their points production from a team that was 6-3 before the COVID-19 shutdown last year. Duke won three straight to kick off the season, hung with No. 1 UNC for 22 minutes (before the Tar Heels scored nine consecutive goals), and then bounced back with a 16-4 win over East Carolina on Sunday. Duke is averaging the second-most caused turnovers (10.6) and draw controls (16.0) per game in the ACC.
No. 15 Virginia Tech (2-2): The Hokies have Paige Petty back from her ACL injury and goalkeeper Angie Benson, who returned to the sport in 2020 after two years away from the game. They also have a deep midfield, something head coach John Sung has been looking for to fit his team’s run-and-gun style of play. Virginia Tech has easily handled its non-conference opponents and gave both Duke—trailed 7-6 at halftime—and UVA serious fits, despite falling to an 0-2 mark in ACC competition. Senior attacker Sarah Lubnow leads all scorers with a team-high 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists).
Louisville (2-1): Louisville is the only ACC team not ranked in the Inside Lacrosse Top 20. That says more about the conference than it does about Louisville, which is currently receiving votes. The Cardinals dropped their season opener to Florida but responded with a 12-9 home victory against Colorado in a contest that featured a 5-0 Cardinals run that bridged the end of the first half and start of the second. Another 5-0 burst staked Louisville to an early lead against Cincinnati Monday, one the Cardinals never relinquished. Caroline Blalock leads the team with 10 points.
Other Notable Storylines:
1) We got a full dosage of Big Ten weekend doubleheaders, and it delivered. The league is playing a conference-only schedule, and each member is facing off against each other twice. A handful of those series are scheduled in doubleheader form. No. 7 Maryland followed up an upset loss to Penn State on Feb. 21 with back-to-back wins over Michigan. Hannah Leubecker was a huge reason why. The sophomore attacker piled up a total of 10 goals across the two victories. No. 3 Northwestern and Izzy Scane—the 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year—steamrolled John’s Hopkins, doubling the Blue Jays’ goal total in the sweep at Homewood Field. Last but not least, No. 14 Rutgers squeaked out two wins over Ohio State. Freshman Sophia Cardello split time in the crease in Sunday’s bout and came through with a .667 save percentage.
2) It’s been a rough start for the Patriot League, even Loyola. While February losses are common for Patriot League teams playing marquee non-conference opponents, the league’s combined 4-9 record through the first few weeks of competition raises some eyebrows. Especially because Loyola, the Patriot League favorite that entered the year ranked fifth in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason poll, is 0-2. The Greyhounds were throttled by Syracuse, 18-6, and then fell to Towson, 13-7, on Feb. 24. For a team that exceeded all expectations in 2019—after graduating the likes of Hannah Powers, Lindsey Ehrhardt, Taylor VanThof, and Kady Glynn—the setback is a bit startling. Navy is holding up the Patriot League with a 3-0 record and No. 17 ranking.
3) James Madison, Towson, Drexel, Hofstra—bring on the CAA. Those four teams are a combined 10-0 right now. JMU’s No. 12 ranking is far from unbelievable. After all, the Dukes were 5-1 last year and returned on of the better defenses in the country, maintained by longtime goalie Molly Dougherty (who backstopped the national title team in 2018) as well as defenders Emma Johnson and Rachel Matey. Still, not sure anyone saw Towson, Drexel, and Hofstra rolling out perfect starts. Towson is one spot behind JMU in the Inside Lacrosse Top 20, and both Drexel and Hofstra are receiving votes. The Dragons are seventh in the nation in goals per game (17.67), and the Tigers are fourth in scoring defense (5.75 goals allowed per game).
Graduate midfielder Nikki Sliwak cradles the ball in Towson’s 13-7 win over then-No. 10 Loyola on Feb. 24. Photo courtesy: Towson Athletics.
Numbers to Know:
3.33 - assists per game by Robert Morris’ Melanie Gandy and Drexel’s Colleen Grady, the most by players who have suited up for more than two games this year. Both have tallied 10 feeders through three games.
96.6% - clearing percentage of Towson, the highest of any team that’s played multiple games this season. Part of the reason why the Tigers’ defense has been so successful.
10.0 - draw controls per game by Campbell’s Julianna Sanchez, the highest average of any player with more than two games under her belt this season. The junior midfielder is also second in total draws with 40, only trailing Duke’s Maddie Jenner.
Tewaaraton Watch:
NOTE: As the season progresses, I’ll also track draw control, ground ball, and caused turnover leaders. Because of COVID-19 and the various postponements (and game totals), I’ve broken down the below scoring categories in game averages. Stats are correct through March 1.
POINTS PER GAME LEADERS
GOALS PER GAME LEADERS
Latest Inside Lacrosse Poll
NOTE: screenshots pulled from insidelacrosse.com.
What’s Ahead?
No. 10 BC @ No. 1 UNC, March 6, 12 p.m.
No. 4 Notre Dame @ No. 11 Duke, March 6, 1 p.m.
No. 8 Stony Brook @ No. 13 Towson, March 7, 1 p.m.
Hope you enjoyed the first edition of this newsletter. If you liked it or know someone who will, please share! We’ll be back next Monday for more coverage.