By R.L. Bynum
Top seed and No. 1-ranked North Carolina started the NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament the way most of the season has been — with domination.
The Tar Heels never trailed in rolling their third victory over Clemson, this time 18–9 in the first round of the NCAA tournament on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Dorrance Field behind Marissa White’s fifth five-goal game of her career.
Marissa White scored five goals and Chloe Humphrey (top photo) scored set the NCAA record for goals by a freshman at 75.
UNC (19–0) moved on to a quarterfinal game at home Thursday (ESPNU) against the winner of the Sunday second-round game between No. 8 seed Johns Hopkins (21–11) and Princeton (19–10), with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
The Tar Heels, who moved 43–22 all-time in NCAA tournament play, seek their fourth national championship after winning titles in 2013, 2016, and 2022.
Carolina jumped out to an 8–2 lead on White’s score with 9:05 left in the first half, the Tar Heels’ fourth consecutive goal. Clemson (which finished 14–7) cut its halftime deficit to 9–5 with three goals in the last 5½ minutes of the first half.
UNC pulled away, leading 13–6 after three quarters after a White score. Another White goal in the final quarter pushed the lead to 16–7.
Photo courtesy of Carolina Athletics
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