Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG- The No. 12 Virginia Tech lacrosse team fell to No. 2 North Carolina Tuesday afternoon 14-6. Kristine Loscalzo recorded her fourth consecutive hat trick, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Tar Heels. The loss drops Tech to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in ACC play. The Heels extend their conference winning streak to 16 games and improved to 10-1, 3-0.
“I thought Meagh Graham played a great game,” said John Sung. “She made 13 saves that really kept us in the game.”
Graham recorded a season-best 13 saves and also came up with four ground balls. The defense was under pressure all afternoon as Carolina got off 44 shots.
“Carolina is really the gold standard right now,” said Sung. “For me getting to play them for the first time it shows me what we need to work on and I think that’s important. For us to make the next step, we have to be able to compete with a team like that.”
Sammy Jo Tracy set the tone for the Heels by winning 12 draws on the afternoon and putting Tech on the back foot. Molly Hendrick led eight Carolina goal scorers with three goals on the afternoon. Caylee Waters won her 10th game of the season after a 52-minute performance where she made five saves and allowed just three goals.
Carolina had more shots, ground balls and draws than Tech, while also clearing 100 percent of their opportunities.
A six-goal run spanning between the end of the first and beginning of the second half opened up the game and gave Carolina an 11-2 advantage. After Zan Biedenharn fired home a goal from a free position opportunity, the Heels reeled off three more scores to secure the victory.
“I thought we had a lot of heart, but we just let them go on that big run in the middle of the game,” said Sung. “We competed for 60 minutes, we will get better and I think it’s a great teaching point for this team. Next thing is getting ready for Louisville, its not about what happened today its about how we bounce back.”
Loscalzo led four Hokies on the score sheet. Emma Harden, Marissa Davey and Biedenharn each had one goal on the afternoon and Mary Claire Byrne provided one assist.
Inside the box score
- Loscalzo’s hat trick brought her season tally to 40
-Tech went 3-for-3 on free position shots
-The Hokies received six yellow cards to UNC’s one
-Six goals are Tech’s fewest since the loss to James Madison on Feb. 15
Next up for the Hokies is a match up with the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. The game is set 1 p.m. at Thompson Field. Fans are encouraged to stay after the game for a celebration of the program’s four seniors.