Vol. 12: UNC Survives Stony Brook Scare, Remaining Top Seeds Coast to Final Four
The Final Four is set. It's a meeting of the country's four best teams—none of which have won a national title since 2016—and four of this year's five Tewaaraton finalists.
Izzy Scane celebrates after finding the back of the net during Northwestern’s 22-10 win over Duke in the Elite Eight on May 22. Photo courtesy: Northwestern Athletics.
After a year full of COVID-19 complications and postponements, shortened and—for some—vastly different regular season schedules, the unpredictable circumstances have left us with, well, a predictable Final Four.
But it makes for one of the more memorable semifinals in recent history.
The top four seeds (North Carolina, Northwestern, Syracuse, and Boston College) have lost a total of six games this year. Not to mention that four of the five Tewaaraton finalists (UNC’s Taylor Moreno and Jamie Ortega, Northwestern’s Izzy Scane, and BC’s Charlotte North) will be on display at Johnny Unitas Stadium this weekend.
It’s a star-studded lineup, and the field is set so that we could very well get two undefeated teams facing off in the National Championship.
But, before we go any further, let’s backtrack a bit. How did we get here?
Elite Eight Rundown:
Stony Brook was minutes away from its first-ever Final Four…again: The eighth-seeded Seawolves were one game away from NCAA semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons. In each of those games, head coach Joe Spallina’s team has held at least a one-goal lead with under 10 minutes to play. Against UNC last weekend, Stony Brook found itself up, 11-9, at the 8:41 mark of the second half after rattling off seven of the final period’s first 10 goals. That’s when the Tar Heels kicked it into gear. Five different UNC players found the back of the cage amid a game-ending 5-0 run. The loss bids farewell to another duo of Seawolves stars (Ally Kennedy and Taryn Ohlmiller), but the program has reloaded before. Meanwhile, UNC is back in the Final Four for the ninth time in the last 12 years. That’s some consistency right there.
Emma Ward starred, and Syracuse pulled away from Florida in the second half: Ward nearly tied the Orange single-game record for goals by a freshman. What’s more, her six scores were tied for the second most by a Syracuse player in an NCAA Tournament matchup. The Orange smashed open a 5-5 halftime deadlock with a 5-0 run to start the second period. The scoring surge lasted nine minutes and saw both Ward and Emma Tyrrell notch a pair of goals. That wasn’t the end of the sixth-seeded Gators, though. Shannon Kavanagh—now fourth nationally in goals—jumpstarted a 4-1 spurt that cut Florida’s deficit to three with 8:03 left. But, from there, Sam Swart, Ward, and the Tyrrell sisters took care of business. With that, Syracuse is in the Final Four for the first time since 2016 and the eighth time in school history.
Emma Ward infiltrates the eight-meter arc amid her six-goal performance in the NCAA quarterfinals against Florida on May 22. Photo courtesy: Syracuse Athletics.
Duke got off to a strong start before running out of gas against Northwestern: The seventh-seeded Blue Devils couldn’t have drawn it up better. They dominated possession, outshot the Wildcats, 8-3, and staked themselves to a 6-1 lead with 18 minutes left in the first half. Except, it was only a matter of time until Northwestern’s nation-leading scoring offense woke up. After Duke sophomore midfielder Olivia Carner polished off her hat trick, making it 7-3 Blue Devils, Northwestern won four of the next five draws and tallied six consecutive goals in about three minutes. What was then a 9-7 lead soon turned into a 12-8 halftime advantage. It was more of the same in the second half, when Northwestern outscored the Blue Devils, 10-2, to close out a 22-10 win. Lauren Gilbert had her way with the Duke defense, logging a game-high six goals. Scane wasn’t far behind with five. The Wildcats were the first team to outclass Duke in the draw control circle this season, winning 21-of-34 bouts.
BC capped sweep of Notre Dame and booked ticket to its fourth straight semifinal: The fourth-seeded Eagles had outscored Notre Dame in the first half of the teams’ previous two meetings this season, 22-8. BC padded that narrative last weekend, slingshotting itself to a 5-1 lead in its Elite Eight matchup with the Irish. Thanks to Madison Ahern and Kasey Choma, Notre Dame got within three goals by intermission. Yet BC’s offensive firepower (31-16 edge in shots on goal), possession control (22-8 advantage on the draw), and physicality (BC had five more free-position attempts) distanced the Eagles from their rival. Head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein’s team used a trio of three-plus-goal runs in the second half to put the finishing touches on a 21-10 victory. North set the record for goals in a single NCAA Tournament with 23 in her first three games.
Charlotte North screams in jubilation next to Courtney Weeks during BC’s 21-10 win over Notre Dame on May 22. Photo courtesy: John Quackenbos/BC Athletics.
Previewing the Final Four:
No. 1 UNC vs. No. 4 BC
BC’s Sam Apuzzo spins in the air after netting the double-overtime game-winner to beat UNC, 15-14, in the 2019 Final Four. Photo courtesy: BC Athletics.
It’s a rematch of the classic 2019 semifinal that watched the Eagles claw back from a 6-0 hole and win, 15-14, in double overtime, courtesy of a Sam Apuzzo game-winner. UNC leads the all-time series, 18-5, but the programs have alternated victories in their last seven meetings, with the Tar Heels claiming the latest matchup, 21-9, earlier this season.
UNC is the national title favorite. There’s no doubt about it. The Tar Heels are 20-0 and equipped with the 11th-best scoring offense (15.9 goals per game) and the top-ranked scoring defense (6.35 goals allowed per game) in the country. They are led by two Tewaaraton finalists: goalie Taylor Moreno and attacker Jamie Ortega. Moreno is second nationally with a .559 save percentage, and Ortega’s 81 goals are good for third in the country. Then there’s Katie Hoeg, who ranks first all-time in points in UNC history.
The Eagles have star power, too. North is the cream of the crop. She’s averaging 7.67 goals per game in the first NCAA Tournament of her career. The former Duke transfer and current Tewaaraton finalist has also collected 170 draw controls, the second most in single-season BC history. Jenn Medjid is having herself a tourney as well. The junior has piled up 13 goals and 19 points so far. And Cara Urbank—BC’s veteran point guard, if you will—has logged eight assists in that span. The Eagles lead the country in shot percentage (53.3%).
What to watch for: The last time these teams squared off, BC did a decent job limiting the possessions of Ortega and Hoeg in the first half. Walker-Weinstein made UNC’s midfield beat BC. That’s what happened. Six of UNC’s first eight goals were scored by non-attackers. So when Ortega and Hoeg finally got going in the second half, a 10-7 game transformed into a 21-9 blowout. For BC to have a chance Friday, the Eagles will have to control the draw, limit turnovers, and shoot at their unusually high percentage.
No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 3 Syracuse
Syracuse players congregate after a Sam Swart goal during the Orange’s 20-8 Sweet Sixteen win over Loyola on May 16. Photo courtesy: Syracuse Athletics.
Northwestern is ahead in the all-time series, 14-6. Syracuse won the teams’ most recent matchup in 2020 before the season was cut short because of COVID-19. Emily Hawryschuk—who has missed practically all of 2021 with a torn ACL—led the way with a team-best six goals in that 16-11 victory. When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, though, Northwestern is 4-0 against Syracuse. The programs met in Evanston for the 2019 Elite Eight. Syracuse fell, 18-14, and the Wildcats advanced to what was, at the time, their first Final Four since 2014.
Scane is closing in on the sport’s single-season record for goals, which was set by Stony Brook’s Courtney Murphy when she hit the century mark in 2016. Scane, who leads the nation with 94 goals right now, can score from pretty much anywhere inside the 18. Lauren Gilbert is just about as good of a No. 2 as you’re gonna get and is dangerous on free-position attempts (68.9%). She has scored nine times in Northwestern’s first two tourney games. The Wildcats have been impressive on the draw, winning a combined 42-of-60 bouts against Denver and Duke, the latter of which ranked third in draw control percentage. Senior Jill Girardi—the reigning IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week—is a name to watch. Northwestern uses her in the circle and on the ride.
Like the Wildcats, Syracuse gets its scoring from a number of outlets. Meaghan and Emma Tyrrell make for a lethal duo—the two combined for 17 points in the Orange’s Sweet Sixteen victory over Loyola. Syracuse has five players with 30-plus goals this season. And that’s without Hawryschuk, who, if healthy, could have been a Tewaaraton finalist this year. What’s more impressive, however, is the Orange defense, which held BC’s North scoreless in the teams’ second meeting. Syracuse ranks eighth in the country in defensive efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference, and 12th in the nation in scoring defense, only allowing 9.47 goals per game. Also, Asa Goldstock can take over games in the cage.
What to watch for: Only two teams all season have held Scane to fewer than four goals: Penn State and Rutgers. And neither did it on their first go around. Syracuse will have its hands full, not only guarding one of the best dodgers in the game but also keeping an entire Northwestern offense that averages 20.6 goals per game in check. The Orange’s best bet is making sure the Wildcats don’t surpass the 15-goal mark. If Ella Simkins, Sarah Cooper, and Kerry Defliese can disrupt the Northwestern attack, Syracuse could find itself in this one late.
Numbers to Know:
170 - draw controls recorded by BC attacker Charlotte North, the third most in the nation. North ranks seventh in draw controls per game (8.95).
6.40 - goals against average posted by UNC goalie Taylor Moreno, tops in the country.
30.53 - shots on goal per game tallied by Northwestern. No other team in Division I college women’s lacrosse dips into the 30s.
Tewaaraton Watch:
Charlotte North - North isn’t just a goal scorer. Her work in the circle goes a long way, too. She leads the country in expected-goals-added, according to Lacrosse Reference. And it’s not even close. She blows the rest of the women’s players out of the water, and, for comparison, her EGA impact is more than 1.5 times greater than the top men’s star, as far as this metric is concerned. Wild when you think about it.
Jamie Ortega - Ortega’s stats would be even more prolific if she wasn’t option 1a. Even though the Tewaaraton Award is a yearly accolade, it’s important to recognize Ortega’s consistency. The Centereach, New York, native has now amassed more than 70 goals in each of her three full seasons in Chapel Hill. Her finesse around the cage turns heads, particularly when a wraparound or quick-stick finish is involved.
Taylor Moreno - The last time this award was handed out, Maryland’s Megan Taylor became the first goalie in the sport’s history to take home the hardware. Moreno would like to make it two in a row. She has been stellar in between the pipes for UNC this year, ranking second in save percentage and first in goals against average.
Izzy Scane - Scane obliterated the Big Ten and has carried all of her momentum into the NCAA Tournament. It’s easy to forget that she’s a junior. If Scane keeps her scoring pace, the award will likely be hers to claim. Of course, that relies on Northwestern staying alive in the NCAA Tournament. At least for another round.
How to Watch:
UNC vs. BC, Friday, May 28, 12 p.m. EST (ESPNU)
Northwestern vs. Syracuse, Friday, May 28, 2 p.m. EST (ESPNU)
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Quick on the Draw newsletter. If you liked it or know someone who will, please share! We’ll be back to wrap up the season.