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No. 1 UNC's Jenny Levy, Sam Forrest and Chloe Humphrey after rolling past Florida.
May 23, 2025
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3:14
Get some water.
3:18
Hydrated. All
3:20
right, we'll start with the North
3:22
Carolina Tarheelss who with their
3:24
victory today advanced to the national
3:26
championship at noon on Sunday to take
3:29
on the winner of the BC Northwestern
3:31
game. We are joined by head coach Jenny
3:32
Levy, Khloe Humphrey who had seven goals
3:35
today, and by Sam Forest, a red shirt
3:37
junior who had five ground balls in
3:40
today's victory. Uh we'll start things
3:42
off with coach for an opening statement.
3:44
Um yeah, first of all, congratulations
3:45
to Florida. u making it to the final
3:48
four is not easy and they've had a great
3:50
season. So, um just appreciate their,
3:53
you know, their program as an opponent
3:55
that we get to see every year. Um and
3:57
then just really happy for my team. I
3:59
thought a little like we're always able
4:02
to adjust and we did a great job
4:03
adjusting today and I have an incredible
4:05
staff with Marie Mcool and Kayla Wood
4:08
and Maya Bartlett who work so hard to
4:11
get these guys prepared for any
4:13
situation that we see. And um I just
4:15
thought the adjustments that we made
4:17
were great. Um Khloe started the party
4:20
and just started putting goals. Our
4:23
defense locked it down and um Sophie
4:25
student was awesome on the draw today.
4:27
So all aspects of our game I thought
4:29
were were really sharp starting by the
4:32
end of the first quarter and I thought
4:33
it made a big difference for us today.
4:35
We'll start things off with questions
4:36
for our student athletes. If you have a
4:38
question, just pop your hand up in the
4:40
air and then identify um your name and
4:43
your outlet for us and we'll bring a mic
4:44
to you.
4:52
Terry Foy inside lacrosse. Chloe, do you
4:54
mind describing the three-goal stretch
4:56
that felt like it changed the game in
4:58
the early second quarter? Yeah, the um
5:01
the game definitely started back and
5:02
forth. I mean, we have to give so much
5:04
credit to Florida's defense. they um
5:06
gave us their best effort in the first
5:07
quarter. But I think um we were able to
5:10
make adjustments. You know, Marie told
5:12
me um how to beat my defender in front
5:14
of me. So, I give so much credit to her
5:15
on making adjustments and the people
5:17
around me. Obviously, Ashley and I came
5:18
out in a face guard, which is
5:20
frustrating, but we both like learned
5:22
how to use that um to our advantage. So,
5:24
I think like my teammates were just
5:25
putting the ball in my in my stick,
5:27
which made it so much easier. And Eliza
5:28
Osbert and Caroline Godin um they were
5:30
to credit for those two goals that kind
5:31
of gave us the momentum run. So
5:33
definitely giving them credit to that.
5:46
Uh Brian Aguana with the Daily Taro.
5:48
Chloe, you had seven goals today. That's
5:50
your career high. You also passed the
5:51
single season goals record for UNCC. Was
5:54
there a moment throughout your lacrosse
5:55
career that you kind of knew you had a
5:57
knack for scoring goals?
5:59
I think my dad would always tell me in
6:02
like third grade like there was kind of
6:04
no off button. It was kind of just get
6:06
the ball in the back of the net and I've
6:07
just naturally always had that like even
6:09
little pee soccer. Um but it's awesome
6:12
to just see how I've developed with the
6:14
people around me and like through every
6:15
team through Darianne this program it's
6:18
just pushed me to be the best player and
6:19
person teammate that I ever could have
6:21
like imagined. So, it just that's the
6:24
reason that I can still continue to
6:25
elevate my game is just the people
6:27
around me and they're just so awesome
6:28
and it's so fun being a part of this
6:30
team. But I definitely um couldn't do it
6:32
without
6:42
them. Kenny DJ John from USA Lacrosse.
6:45
Sam, even in the first quarter, uh a lot
6:47
of what Florida was doing still seemed
6:49
unsettled and a little bit kind of
6:50
helter skelter. What was it about what
6:52
you guys were able to do that just kept
6:54
them constantly almost scrambling for
6:56
the ball? Yeah, I mean Jenny always
6:58
talks about us playing Velociraptor
7:00
defense and just being all over them.
7:02
Pressure out. We win the 20s. We try to
7:04
get on their hands and it's just about
7:06
trying to be aggressive but also clean
7:08
at the same time. And I think that helps
7:09
us a lot organize. It helps us organize
7:12
quicker and get slides sent quicker and
7:14
just anticipate their next move. And I
7:17
think that was a a driving factor in the
7:20
momentum switch in the first quarter
7:22
where we stopped letting them score
7:24
goals. And yeah, it's just our
7:26
velociraptor defense.
7:30
Terry
7:36
Sam, obviously a lot of this year has
7:38
been about the kind of new additions,
7:44
the folks that returned from injury and
7:45
the way in which last year was a
7:46
foundation for this year. So, some ways
7:49
it seems kind of symbolic that you beat
7:51
Florida today after they ended your
7:54
season last year. How did you guys
7:55
reflect on that or how did you think
7:56
about it heading into this game? Yeah, I
7:58
mean it was heartbreaking last year
8:00
losing to Florida. Um, we all wanted to
8:02
go further than we did and we had so
8:04
many injuries. It was heartbreaking for
8:05
everyone on and off the field, but we
8:07
just used that to not get mad but get
8:09
even. We wanted to cash our check and
8:12
make sure that we got our got our
8:14
revenge on them and finish our strong
8:17
season and keep going into the next
8:19
game. But it was mostly just a it was a
8:21
motivation for us because we wanted to
8:23
get our win back. Any final questions
8:26
for the student athletes?
8:29
Matt Caner inside lacrosse.
8:31
Khloe obviously seven goals and um but
8:35
what was it like seeing Nicole score
8:36
there toward the end of the game? Yeah,
8:38
that honestly like Ashley and I just
8:40
looked at each other like oh my god this
8:42
girl has been through so much between
8:44
her foot injury flying across the
8:46
country to only hear that she wasn't
8:47
able to play her season. So, it was kind
8:49
of just a full circle moment for her.
8:51
Like, all of her hard work and recovery,
8:53
while it hasn't paid off in the ways
8:54
that she expected it to, like that goal
8:56
just says so much about her character
8:57
and that she's relentless. Like, this
8:59
girl will not stop. She has a barely
9:00
functioning foot and she's still running
9:02
midfield for like 10 minutes straight.
9:04
So, I just goes to like show so much
9:06
about her character and just how badly
9:08
she wants to be here and her dedication
9:09
to this team.
9:12
Last question.
9:17
Hi, Brett Abrams with the Fateville
9:19
Observer. Um, Chloe, uh, you guys have
9:22
had a great season, but what does it
9:24
feel like to be able to compete for a
9:25
national championship, especially
9:27
alongside your sisters? Yeah, I think
9:29
Jenny can attest to this. I walked into
9:31
the Carolina lacrosse camp in sixth
9:33
grade and my eyes were like as bright as
9:35
they could be. Um, in sixth grade, that
9:37
was when I decided I want to win a
9:38
national championship for the University
9:39
of North Carolina. And that's just
9:41
driven my passion for the game for I
9:44
don't know how many years since sixth
9:45
grade. So just to be here is I have to
9:48
pinch myself every day and to put on
9:50
that performance that we did today just
9:51
I wouldn't do want to do it with any
9:53
other team and people around me. So we
9:55
have one more game and we're going to
9:56
give it everything that we have and this
9:58
team I'm telling you has a lot to give.
10:01
Awesome ladies. Thank you. Good job.
10:03
Thank you. You need me still? Yes. Okay.
10:05
We have further questions for coach.
10:12
[Music]
10:21
Coach, obviously as the season goes on,
10:23
players gain experience, they learn the
10:26
systems. At what point did this team
10:28
maybe stop feeling like such a young
10:30
team like it was coming into the season?
10:32
Or has it felt like it's no longer a
10:34
young team to use air quotes? Um, I I
10:37
would say more of an inexperienced team.
10:38
Obviously, there's a lot of freshman,
10:40
our, you know, red shirt freshman who
10:42
didn't play last year contributed today.
10:44
But, um, you know, even going into our
10:47
first game of the season against JMU to
10:49
our first ACC game of the season to um,
10:53
you know, heading out to, um,
10:54
Northwestern for that. Like, we've been
10:57
progressing and and working on our craft
11:00
um, since last year. And um you know
11:03
coming into today's game I I we haven't
11:05
been in this environment uh with them.
11:08
Uh the ACC's were one thing and then you
11:11
know walking in Gillette Stadium with
11:12
all the with all the stuff that was
11:14
going on today. It just I had no idea
11:17
like and the timing was all different
11:19
and our our kids warmed up in like 15
11:21
minutes and we still had 10 minutes in
11:22
the warm-up clock. I'm looking at them
11:23
like why don't you guys go back in the
11:25
locker room go do something because they
11:27
they had they did not want to like warm
11:29
up anymore. they're ready to play and um
11:32
so I I don't know I I I approach every
11:34
game with an open mind to help them
11:36
solve problems on the field as they come
11:38
up. Um my whole staff does and so we are
11:42
taking our cue from them and what they
11:44
need um in these moments and and they
11:46
they've continued to impress. They've
11:48
been poised, they've been confident, um,
11:51
and they've been relentless. And that is
11:53
just, I think, who they are as as
11:54
competitors. And not to mention, they're
11:57
just great human beings. And, and they
11:59
get along so well and, you really lift
12:01
each other up. So, it's been a great
12:03
great ride for us.
12:12
Hi, Jenny. Uh, you have obviously a lot
12:14
of newcomers as as it's been said. Uh,
12:16
one of them with a lot of experience is
12:18
Olivia Vergano. Can you just talk a
12:20
little bit about what she's brought to
12:21
this team and and and why she's here?
12:24
Yeah, Verg's been great. She, you know,
12:26
we needed a lefty um in the transfer
12:28
portal last year. It was something that
12:30
was like glaring for us last year.
12:31
Knowing that we had a couple freshman
12:33
coming in that were lefties, but not a
12:36
veteran attacker. And, you know, Verg's
12:38
just open every day to learning, working
12:41
hard. She's a great teammate. she's she
12:43
like pinches herself every day that she
12:45
gets to be where she is with the people
12:47
that she's doing it with. Um, and I I
12:50
think sometimes like a a reset for some
12:53
athletes is is really positive and and
12:56
they can make a positive impact on your
12:58
environment too because they have just a
13:01
different perspective. So, um, she's
13:03
been amazing. She's also an incredible
13:06
human, great teammate, hard worker.
13:08
She's learning every day. uh she's just
13:11
getting better and better every day. So,
13:13
um she just gives us our her heart all
13:15
the time. So, she's been a joy to coach
13:24
Tessi Daily Tarheel. Um coach, your team
13:26
scored their 372nd goal of the season
13:29
today, which is a UNCC single season
13:32
goal record. Can you talk about like
13:34
when this season you realized that this
13:35
offense was something special? Well, we
13:38
knew the potential of it when you look
13:39
at it on paper. Um whether it's, you
13:42
know, Khloe and then Ashley, you know,
13:43
played last year for us, so she had a a
13:46
a semester under her belt and how we
13:48
like to do things and she learned a lot.
13:50
And then obviously bringing Marissa back
13:52
from injury and then the midi, you know,
13:55
getting Kaylee Waters back. I mean,
13:56
Kaylee, sorry, Kaylee Waters. Um getting
13:59
Kaylee Harden back from injury and then
14:02
the the influx of our freshman Eliza
14:04
Osborne and Kate Levy. like those guys
14:06
have just given us so much depth. So, we
14:09
knew how great they would be and their
14:11
potential. We just didn't know when it
14:13
would be realized and so we work hard
14:15
every day just to make sure our
14:18
fundamentals are sharp and our
14:21
philinforced on a day in dayout basis.
14:24
But they've they're just when you have
14:26
really talented players with great
14:28
sticks and you give them the freedom to
14:29
to create uh those those make some
14:32
really magic moments for not only them
14:34
but also the people watching.
14:37
Final question. We'll go to Terry.
14:44
Jenny, the two goal first quarter was
14:45
the lowest since the uh Boston College
14:48
the first Boston College game. Um was
14:51
there what about it felt similar and
14:52
what about it felt different? Um just
14:56
getting into a rhythm offensively where
14:58
you know you're not impatient and you
15:00
know everyone's touching the ball and
15:01
you're starting make taking the shots
15:02
you want to take instead taking the
15:04
shots they want you to take. Um so I
15:06
didn't really flash back to the BC game.
15:09
Um I just it's a really long game as
15:11
everybody knows. It doesn't get played
15:13
inside two hours unfortunately. So um
15:16
there's just so much time on the clock
15:18
at that point. So, we were just looking
15:19
to try to get into rhythm. Um, make a
15:22
few adjustments to, you know, like
15:24
listen, Farler already played us this
15:26
year, so of course they're going to come
15:27
out in something different. We weren't
15:29
sure whether double face guard or zone
15:31
or you, you just didn't know until we
15:33
knew. Um, and then once we knew, we
15:35
started making some adjustments. So, um,
15:37
I didn't worry about it quite honestly.
15:39
I thought we finished the quarter
15:41
strong. I think I was it 44 after is uh
15:44
maybe two four. Oh, two four and then we
15:46
we tied it up pretty quick. So, um, we
15:48
there's no panic, you know, we work
15:50
through it and and see what we can make
15:52
of it. Coach, thanks. Congratulations.
15:55
Yeah. Thanks, guys. Thanks for Daily
15:57
Tire Hill being here.
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