virginia TECH FALLS TO NORTH CArolina DESPITE PROMISING FIRST HALF

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's lacrosse lost its second straight game to a ranked opponent Thursday, falling to No. 2 North Carolina, 21-9, at Thompson Field. 

Despite a hard fight in the first half, with hat tricks from Lauren Render and Mia Pozzi, the Hokies were unable to stop the Tar Heels.

Initially, Tech’s defense was able to shut down Carolina using a zone defense, which kept pressure on the Tar Heels.

The Hokies were then able to rush to the other side of the field with a sharp goal from Pozzi—giving Tech a 1-0 lead to start. 

However, the Tar Heels' ferocious offense did not give up—continuing to put pressure on Virginia Tech goalie Aliya Jones. Jones was able to swat off all goals for the first eight minutes of the game before Carolina scored, creating a 1-1 game. 

Render quickly retaliated, swarming North Carolina’s line, faking out a defender, and putting the Hokies ahead again.

Tech was able to stay on offense consistently, with 10 shots on goal in the first 10 minutes. Render was able to score again, while Jones kept the Tar Heels’ nationally ranked offense at bay.

At this point, Carolina found gaps in the Hokie defense, scoring twice before the end of the first quarter. Render scored once more to end the first period at a 4-4 tie. 

Starting the second quarter, the Tech defense began to slip up, as the game became an offensive battle between the ACC rivals. 

Within six minutes, the two teams scored a combined five goals. Pozzi and Sophia Trahan both tallied goals for the Hokies, while Carolina scored four in return.

Tech’s left holes in their defense—which the Tar Heels took full advantage of. Jones had an impressive showing, with nine saves in the first half, but the Carolina offense was too powerful—holding an 8-6 lead at the break. 

Carolina was able to score twice fairly quickly in the second half, causing Tech to lose any remaining momentum.

Despite a great first half from Jones, the Tar Heels were able to find her weakness by surrounding the goal, passing the ball in a circle and scoring repeatedly.

Tech was able to score only once in the third quarter, with an early goal from Katie Elam.

North Carolina’s defense did a nice job at pushing the Hokies away from the goal, forcing them into passing more often—leading to losing control and mistakes. Tech struggles to pass the one-third line in the third.

The fourth quarter started with a quick snipe from Pozzi into the five-hole—followed by another promising goal from Grace New.

But Carolina kept pushing, storming the goal and scoring quickly with speed, power and precision.

The Heels scored six more times before the final horn, giving Carolina a dominating 21-9 victory. 

Former Hokie Olivia Vergano scored five goals for the Tar Heels. Chloe Humphrey also put five into the back of the net for Carolina. 

Virginia Tech will look to get back on track against High Point. The Hokies and Panthers will face off at 11 a.m. ET at Thompson Field on Sunday.