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UNC women's lacrosse postgame press conference after winning the national championship #UNC
May 25, 2025
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0:00
Um well, first of all, congratulations
0:01
to Northwestern um on a great season.
0:03
Obviously, Big 10 champs and um you
0:07
know, our opponents always make us
0:08
better. You know, whether it's playing
0:10
through the ACC or our new our um
0:12
non-conference games, it challenges our
0:14
team and our coaches to be the best that
0:17
we can be. So, congrats to Northwestern.
0:19
Um you know, it's a full team effort. We
0:21
started building this this team last
0:23
year. Um and obviously like so happy for
0:27
what we did. Um I' I'm kind of in shock
0:30
because this have a very different field
0:32
than 22. Um but I'm looking down at like
0:34
who scored, who did not did what, but um
0:37
I thought Sam Forest played amazing. Um
0:39
and the defense was incredible. Um
0:41
shutting down what they go to and how
0:43
they score. Um Betty played great and
0:46
the cage really anchored us. And then
0:48
you know obviously um Schwitzer's a
0:50
she's a she's a you know blocker in
0:52
there and did a great job. Uh we took
0:55
you know she had 17 saves today. But um
0:57
our team's been tough all year.
0:59
Nothing's phased them. They've been
1:01
poised. We were a little nervous early.
1:02
We settled down. Um and just a total
1:04
team effort. What Sophie did did on the
1:06
draw with um Eliza Osborne and Kaylee
1:09
Harden was amazing. And um you know,
1:11
just overall just the opportunity to win
1:14
a national championship doesn't happen
1:15
to everybody. And um the you know, for
1:19
these guys, it's a lifelong um
1:21
experience that they'll always remember
1:22
and you'll always be national champs. So
1:24
congrats. Thanks.
1:26
Welcome to Florida. Questions for
1:27
student athletes. Please, as a reminder,
1:30
state your name and your affiliation.
1:35
Hey guys, uh Brett Abrams with the
1:37
Fateville Observer. Chloe, you said a
1:39
few days ago that it's been your dream
1:41
since sixth grade to win a championship
1:42
with the University of North Carolina.
1:44
How do you feel right now? I mean, I'm
1:47
still in shock. I think the emotions
1:49
haven't really hit me yet. Um like this
1:51
team, we showed up. I have so much
1:52
respect for Northwestern and the effort
1:54
that they gave us. But at the end of the
1:56
day, like this team, I could have never
1:57
imagined being surrounded by these
1:59
people winning a national championship.
2:00
I always wondered who I'd be alongside
2:02
cuz um I knew the goal one day would um
2:05
would happen. So, I'm just so um
2:07
grateful that I have these people
2:08
surrounded by me. So, I'm just feeling
2:10
grateful for everything that I have.
2:16
This is Yen Lee from Inside Enu. Chloe,
2:19
when you were sat out last season with
2:21
an injury, just looking back, do you
2:24
think you would have imagined that you
2:25
would be in this position today?
2:29
Yeah. I mean, yes,
2:32
honestly, yes. Um, I think there were a
2:34
lot of people on the sideline with me
2:36
that would have contributed to a
2:37
national championship. So, it's so
2:39
awesome. Um, Marie McQue sent us a
2:40
picture a few days ago of basically like
2:42
our entire starting lineup on the
2:43
sideline. Um, so it's just crazy to see
2:46
like the impact that everyone's having.
2:47
Brooklyn Walker, Key Harden, Sophie
2:49
Student, Sam um Forest is also like
2:51
contributing um a lot this season and
2:54
it's just so fun to just see everyone
2:56
and what they went through and now just
2:58
like having fun out there and we can
2:59
call ourselves national champions now.
3:05
Hi, Brian Duano with the Daily Taro. Um
3:07
Ashley and Chloe, I talked to you your
3:09
dad on um Friday after the win. Um
3:12
Ashley, he said when you when you saw
3:15
Nicole win in 2022, you said, "I want
3:17
that. I need that." Um kind of what does
3:20
it feel to get that? Can you walk me
3:22
through that moment up until now? And
3:24
then also a little bit of two-part. He
3:25
also said he was getting a tattoo if you
3:27
guys won. Oh god. So I was wondering if
3:30
you guys knew anything about that. But
3:32
yeah. Um yeah, we we did we thought he
3:34
was bluffing. I hope he is on that. Um,
3:37
but yeah, you know, watching Nicole win
3:39
it in 22 and the 22 team, um, I was
3:41
watching from the stands, I was still at
3:42
Stanford at that point and I just I told
3:45
my dad like after they made that insane
3:47
comeback, I was like, not even that I
3:49
wanted to win, I just wanted an
3:50
opportunity to be on that stage. And I
3:52
think that's why like Friday going into
3:53
it, like we didn't really have any
3:55
nerves because we were just so grateful
3:57
to be there. And like obviously last
3:58
year didn't go our way. So I think like
4:01
just having the opportunity to be there
4:02
was what I really wanted. Obviously,
4:04
this is just like icing on the cake, but
4:07
I think like we have a onetrack mind as
4:10
a team and like as a staff and I think
4:13
anything is is really possible and you
4:16
know when I entered the portal when I
4:18
was at Stanford like I had one goal in
4:20
mind and we did it. So, made it all
4:23
worth it. But yeah, you know, definitely
4:25
took a lot of sacrifices, a lot of
4:27
injuries, a lot of comebacks. But, you
4:29
know, we'll this is something that no
4:31
one can ever take away from us.
4:37
Yeah, I was just going to ask Ashley and
4:39
and Khloe, you know, a lot of teams talk
4:41
about themselves being like a family.
4:43
You guys actually are a family and then
4:45
and then Jenny and your daughter
4:47
obviously too. Uh what is it like to win
4:50
together like that? Yeah, it's insane.
4:53
Yeah, it's like a whole different set of
4:54
emotions. Like obviously I was in the
4:57
stands with Ashley seeing Nicole win it
4:58
and we both just looked at each other
4:59
like, "Wow, we need to be a part of And
5:01
at that time I was committed to UNCC so
5:03
I kind of was like Ashley like let's do
5:05
this. Um but it's just incredible to see
5:08
like the impact Nicole has had on all of
5:10
us and um she started the UNCC dream so
5:12
so much credit to her and um it's just
5:14
so awesome being alongside my sisters
5:16
and being able to live out our dream
5:17
together. Yeah. And like that connection
5:19
is obviously so deep. But I think this
5:21
whole team I have 38 sisters. Like I
5:24
this whole entire team, this staff, like
5:26
we are just one big family. And so
5:28
although we have, you know, some DNA in
5:30
common, I think like everybody on this
5:32
team is a family. And I feel like we've
5:34
just gotten so close. And Betty always
5:35
says like this is blood, too. So we're
5:38
we're just we're really happy.
5:42
Uh first off, congratulations, guys. Um
5:44
I'm Jill Schumacher at New House Sports
5:45
Media Center. You guys all talked about
5:47
the hardships you faced last season. How
5:50
much do you think learning to come over
5:51
those trials, tribulations, injuries,
5:54
whatever really shaped your mindset for
5:56
the season and brought you together as a
5:58
team? Yeah. Um I think obviously it
6:02
gives you a sense of gratitude. You
6:03
know, coming from a place of um I know I
6:07
was injured, Clay was injured, Ashley
6:09
got injured. um it's just you show up
6:12
every day and you're kind of just like
6:15
wow in awe of um what we're able to do.
6:18
So every time that we step on the field
6:20
we're just so grateful that we have the
6:22
opportunity for another game together.
6:24
So um yeah, I think the gratitude that
6:28
we've gotten has offered such a great
6:30
perspective on um this season and going
6:34
through um playoffs and now a national
6:37
championship.
6:44
Hey guys, Kenny DJ John from USA
6:46
Lacrosse. Uh Ashley, you dealt with a
6:48
face guard today. So, having dealt with
6:50
that, seeing what Maddie had to go
6:52
through on the other end of the field,
6:54
how hard is it to do what Sam was able
6:55
to do on that side of the field? Yeah, I
6:58
mean, I can't say enough about Sam
7:00
Forest. Like, if it were up to me, I
7:01
would take her against any Dodger in the
7:03
country. I think our team with our
7:05
talent has been able to prepare her so
7:08
well in practice. Like I know Sam and
7:10
Khloe go at it in practice every single
7:11
day. And I think if you can stop Khloe,
7:13
you can stop anyone. So, um, she's just
7:16
incredible. She works so hard. She's
7:18
been through so much with injuries and I
7:21
think her comeback story is one of the
7:23
greatest I've ever heard. And it's just
7:25
so awesome to see all of her work pay
7:27
off. But I think Sam's able to do what
7:30
she's do because she has everybody
7:32
behind her and she knows that she has
7:33
their support and so she's able to take
7:35
those calculated risks and just knowing
7:38
that she has six others behind her who
7:40
are waiting to have her back. Um but
7:44
obviously incredibly impressive. Madison
7:45
Taylor is one of the greatest in the
7:47
country. So, I think it's it's a
7:49
testament to our defense and Kayla Wood
7:52
as a coach. Um, stepping into that role,
7:54
I think was really important and pivotal
7:56
for us and it's just it pays off. You
7:59
know, scoreboard pays off. Um, and you
8:01
can just we've seen it all season long
8:02
what they're able to do, but today it
8:04
was just lock down.
8:09
Matt Campbell, inside you. Uh, Betty,
8:11
how were you able to regroup after that
8:13
first goal from Northwestern?
8:16
I think, you know, you know that they're
8:19
going to score. You know that they're
8:21
going to come after you. So, you know,
8:24
one goes in, it's kind of like you knew,
8:27
you knew it was going to happen. Um,
8:29
it's just, you know, on to the next
8:32
really fast. Um, and just playing your
8:36
game throughout. Um, and not being too
8:40
focused on, you know, trying to analyze
8:43
um, the last goal. Um because you know
8:46
the first goal goes in, you got a long
8:48
game. So um just moving on.
8:55
Teslani Daily Tariel. Betty, um
8:57
continuing with that, can you talk a
8:59
little bit about what it what your
9:01
defense means to you helping to shut
9:03
down one of the top offenses in the
9:04
country?
9:06
Yeah, I mean what I do
9:09
is not without my defense. um you know
9:14
my saves come from them giving me the
9:17
shots that I want to see.
9:19
So whatever they do on the field is
9:21
pivotal for my job. So obviously today
9:24
they came out and just absolutely
9:26
terrorized Northwestern. So it made it
9:29
really easy for me to do my job. I felt
9:31
really comfortable. Um we have a saying
9:34
that they say to me and I say to them,
9:36
you know, if you got my back, I got
9:38
yours. Um, and that's just truly what we
9:42
live by. You know, they they play for
9:45
me, I play for them. So, today was, you
9:47
know, mainly them, I
9:50
think. Got time for one more question.
10:01
Betty, there's a pretty historic line of
10:02
UNCC goalies to win national
10:04
championships. So, how does it feel to
10:06
put yourself into that conversation?
10:08
I mean, it feels pretty surreal.
10:12
Um, Taylor Marino texted me this morning
10:15
and was like, "Hey, like you're built
10:17
for this. You're part of this
10:18
greatness." Um, and I think, you know,
10:23
it's just another opportunity to be a
10:25
part of a legacy. Um, and I'm just so
10:29
grateful that I get to be a part of
10:31
it. Did you have a question in the
10:33
middle there? All
10:35
good. All right. We'll open the floor
10:38
for questions for coach Levy.
10:45
[Music]
10:50
Thank you guys. Good job. Go back. What
10:54
color is the hair
10:55
next? Blue.
11:02
Hi, Jenny. I'll ask you the same
11:03
question I asked uh the Humphrey girls
11:05
about, you know, being a family and and
11:07
what it means to win this championship
11:09
with your daughter on the field, scoring
11:10
a goal for for that matter. Um, pretty
11:13
awesome. My my sons are back here, my
11:16
husband's here, too. But, you know,
11:17
these these guys have lived through a
11:19
lot of seasons. Um, this one happens to
11:21
be our 30th, and they've watched a lot
11:23
of championship games, seen us win, and
11:26
seen us lose some heartbreakers. So, um,
11:29
you know, to be on the field with Kate
11:31
and watch her play and watch her
11:33
teammates play is just super special and
11:35
I'm so proud of her. Um, she's tough.
11:37
She's a great teammate. She works hard
11:39
and, um, yeah, it's pretty I don't think
11:41
it's sunk in yet, but um, she's a
11:44
special kid and she's a special athlete
11:45
and she's a special teammate. So, um, so
11:48
proud of her and just feel really lucky
11:50
we could be in this position together,
11:51
which is really cool.
11:58
Brendan Prizeman, WNUR Sports. Coach,
12:01
all three players who were up here on
12:02
the podium with you ended last season
12:05
injured. How did you use last year as
12:07
sort of a crucible to build up to this
12:10
year and then start this run? Yeah, I I
12:12
think you know, no one wants to lose
12:14
players and to injury and ours were a
12:17
lot of different things that happened
12:18
throughout the course of the year, but
12:20
you know, by the time we hit April, we
12:21
had like a kid from the field hockey
12:24
team helping us, a kid from the club
12:26
team helping us practice. Like, we were
12:27
really down a lot of numbers. And I
12:29
think as a group, we just decided that
12:31
we were going to work on um fundamentals
12:33
and culture and make sure we had a
12:35
really good um positive experience last
12:37
season regardless of what was happening
12:38
on the field. We had to reset what our
12:40
standards were for success. Um because
12:43
obviously our standards are ACC and
12:45
national championship. Um and then we
12:48
started all summer. We worked really
12:49
hard and um you know people weren't like
12:51
Sofh didn't play this fall. Um Kayley
12:53
Harden didn't play this fall. So we had
12:55
a lot of we were really managing a lot
12:56
of minutes um all fall. So we really
12:59
didn't get the core group back together
13:01
until like January, February. But
13:04
they've been tough all year. they
13:05
there's not uh there's not one thing
13:08
that we've thrown at them that they have
13:10
shied away from. So um I think you know
13:12
being injured I I've take I take a lot
13:14
of pictures of a team because it's just
13:15
I'm a mom. So um you know I I look back
13:19
at it I'm like oh my god we had like a
13:21
whole starting lineup last year and we
13:22
got a lot of criticism from people who
13:25
are fans of ours or not fans of ours on
13:28
what we could have been doing better or
13:30
should have been doing better. And
13:31
honestly, we use that all year to fuel
13:33
us because I've never seen a team
13:35
destroyed by injuries like that except
13:37
for maybe an NFL. Um maybe the Ravens
13:39
once in a while, but um but you know, I
13:42
think overall we used it to fuel this
13:45
season and this team has been super
13:46
humble all year. I there's not one time
13:49
they've walked on the field and haven't
13:50
respected the opponent.
13:57
Hi, Brian with the Daily Taro again.
13:59
What is the 24 hours of preparation like
14:02
leading up to the national championship
14:03
game? And how has your experience
14:04
changed from your first one back in uh I
14:06
believe 2013 to your fourth one this
14:08
year? Well, they don't change. You win
14:10
on you can't look past your Friday game.
14:13
Um and so you really don't know. You
14:15
just have to focus on Friday. There's no
14:17
other explanation. You cannot take
14:19
another step forward until you win on
14:21
Friday. And I think one of our coaches
14:24
saw Tilman in the lobby yesterday last
14:26
night getting as much curigs as he could
14:28
because he was about to pull an all
14:29
nighter preparing for Cornell. So is
14:31
that who they play? Yeah, Cornell. So um
14:34
you don't sleep, you're you're plowing,
14:36
you get back late, you watch the game
14:37
live and then you start working on the
14:40
things that you knew. Luckily for us,
14:41
because of our schedule that we play, it
14:44
prepares us for this moment. We've
14:45
played them before, but that was in
14:47
March. And both teams have made
14:48
adjustments and and gotten better in
14:50
different areas. And so, but ultimately,
14:53
it's really about us. It's about us. Um,
14:56
we have a um a gentleman who follows our
15:00
team who's in a wheelchair and I saw him
15:02
literally right before um I got um into
15:05
my car to go the bus to go to the
15:07
airport on the way. He said, "Coach,
15:08
just remember, you know, just remember
15:10
who you are." And I was like, "Thanks.
15:12
That's all we So, it's really, you know,
15:14
tactically obviously you got to you got
15:16
to know what you're doing. Um, and we
15:18
try to prepare all season so we can make
15:20
the small adjustments that we need to
15:21
make today and it's not a shock to our
15:23
players. I thought my staff did an
15:26
unbelievable job all year. Marie Mcool,
15:28
Kayla Kayla Wood, who both played for me
15:30
and then Maya Bartlett who's new and she
15:32
was at Dennis on the men's side last
15:34
year. So, um, I thought we had a really
15:36
good plan starting in January that would
15:39
set our team up for this moment. um and
15:42
started with um ACC's this year. We play
15:44
Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. You don't get
15:46
a lot of sleep, but you you just know in
15:48
48 hours it's going to be over one way
15:50
or the other, and you're it's so
15:52
privileged to be in that position.
15:58
Hi, Coach Brett Abrams with the Favville
15:59
Observer. Uh it seemed like every time
16:01
they showed Ashley on the big screen,
16:03
she was yelling or saying something. Uh
16:05
can you kind of talk about her
16:06
leadership and vision on the field and
16:08
how much that helps especially in in a
16:10
season like this? Yeah, she's a point
16:12
guard for us back there. She has a
16:14
really good command of the game. She
16:16
watches tons of film. She's very
16:18
prepared in her mind for what tactical
16:20
adjustments need to be made. Um when
16:22
things are not going right for us, she
16:24
understands that. Uh and even in a face
16:27
guard situation, she's she's just she's
16:30
leading. Uh and the first time we had a
16:32
face guard this season was against
16:33
Northwestern out there. So, um, we've
16:35
gotten better at it since and that's why
16:37
you play your season. But, you know,
16:39
she's a leader. She tells people what
16:40
they need to to know. Sometimes she's,
16:43
you know, in the heat of the moment,
16:44
it's not as friendly as it needs to be,
16:45
but that's what leaders do. They tell
16:47
people real truths when they need to
16:48
hear them.
16:52
Ed Lee with Baltimore Sun. Jenny, you're
16:55
after the game, your hug with Kate. Is
16:57
it a normal motherdaughter hug? Does it
16:59
have many more meaning because of what
17:00
you guys just accomplished?
17:03
Yeah, I think it's pretty cool. Hug your
17:05
daughter after you won a national
17:06
championship. Um I I like to hug anyway.
17:09
So, um and I like to hug every single
17:11
one of my players, but to hug your
17:13
daughter as a player is pretty awesome.
17:21
Coach, what type of discipline uh goes
17:23
into the way Sam Forest prepares for a
17:26
face guard, then executes a face guard,
17:28
and what type of mentality do you have
17:30
to have when you know every game
17:32
basically you're going to have that type
17:33
of assignment? Yeah, actually we weren't
17:35
in a face guard. Um we were we were just
17:38
extending out and um we've played like
17:40
that all year. Um, we really wanted to
17:43
use our athleticism and get up and out
17:45
and make people uncomfortable and um,
17:48
so, you know, it's not a face guard, but
17:50
it is a sliding defense that helps each
17:52
other. So, she knows that it's not just
17:55
on her. I I our kids the the game today
17:58
is so um, the kids are so talented and
18:02
it's really hard to play just straight
18:03
up one-on-one defense against someone
18:05
like Madison Taylor. I haven't seen you
18:07
just can't. She's too good. She's too
18:09
powerful. She's she's such a great
18:11
athlete and she's a great finisher and
18:13
you can't leave any of your teammates
18:14
out to dry when she has the ball. So Sam
18:17
had help today. It wasn't a face guard,
18:19
but it is a sliding defense that helps
18:21
protect um those situations.
18:26
One more question.
18:29
Hi. Uh Joel Schumacher with New House
18:31
Sports Media Center. I'm over here,
18:32
coach. Sorry, I'm all the way in the
18:33
corner. Um, you talked about how you
18:35
haven't seen that happen to a team
18:37
before last season, but I also haven't
18:39
seen what you did to turn it on a dime.
18:42
Like to do that within a year, to be in
18:44
such injury trouble the year before and
18:46
to be in the spot where you are now.
18:48
What do you really do and hone in on to
18:51
really flip that on the dime? Is it one
18:52
thing? Is it a culture thing? Um, that's
18:55
a good question. We really were very
18:58
focused on keeping things simple and
19:00
playing to our strengths and we started
19:02
building that last season. Uh we knew
19:05
what we wanted to do going into the
19:06
fall. We really worked on a couple
19:08
things that was a really big style
19:10
change for us on the defensive side and
19:12
a style change in the midfield just
19:15
knowing our personnel and what they
19:16
naturally wanted to do. And so we
19:20
highlighted that. Honestly, we went into
19:22
the first game against JMU this season.
19:23
I had no idea if it was going to work.
19:25
And you you I didn't know how we'd
19:28
respond to stress. I didn't know how we
19:29
would respond to anything because we
19:31
hadn't competed together yet. And that
19:33
kind of been my curiosity all season is
19:35
how are we going to respond to the
19:36
moment? Even today, even Friday, how are
19:38
we going to respond to the moment? None
19:40
of these guys have been on in that
19:41
situation together. And so, um, you
19:45
know, the, you know, at the end of the
19:46
day, they're all really, really
19:47
competitive kids, and they all have been
19:50
in big games throughout their life. and
19:52
they've always been margins of victory
19:53
in their high school or in the teams
19:56
they're playing on. So, you know, we
19:58
flipped it. We kept it simple. We were
20:00
very positive and very encouraging to
20:02
for them to to learn how to play
20:05
together, play hard, be fearless.
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