GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina won the 2022 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship Sunday, downing Boston College in a 12-11 thriller in front of a sellout crowd of 8,500 at Baltimore’s Homewood Field – the sixth-largest crowd in a national championship game in women's lacrosse history. The title was UNC’s third in program history (2013, 2016).
The top-seeded Tar Heels finished off an undefeated season with a 22-0 record and claimed the ACC’s 17th women’s lacrosse NCAA championship, including the second straight after Boston College’s 2021 title. The No. 3 seed Eagles (19-4) finished off another tremendous season while making their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA championship game.
The Sunday contest marked the sixth time that ACC teams matched up in the national championship game, including the second straight (1998, 1999, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2022). BC topped Syracuse, 16-10, in the 2021 title game. The ACC has placed at least one team in the national title game for the 12th time in the last 13 tournaments.
UNC women’s lacrosse is the ACC's seventh team national champion this season, which is the most of any conference and matches the ACC record for most national titles in an academic year, set in 2009-10. The ACC also has brought home titles in women's cross country (NC State), women's soccer (Florida State), men's soccer (Clemson), women's swimming & diving (Virginia), fencing (Notre Dame) and men's tennis (Virginia).
Sam Geiersbach scored three goals off the bench to lead the Tar Heels. The grad transfer scored eight goals in Championship Weekend and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Ally Mastroianni and Jamie Ortega each scored two goals for UNC. Ortega finished her prolific career with an ACC-record 466 points.
Charlotte North posted a game-high four goals for Boston College, while Cassidy Weeks recorded a hat trick. The reigning Tewaaraton honoree, North finished her standout career with an NCAA-record 358 goals, including 10 in two games this weekend.
After UNC bolted to a 5-2 lead after the first quarter, BC chipped away and took its first lead, 8-7, on a North goal with 2:13 remaining in the third quarter. Neither team led by more than two goals in a nip-and-tuck second half. The Tar Heels broke a 10-all tie on a Geiersbach goal with 5:26 left and pushed the lead to 12-10 on Scottie Rose Growney’s score with 2:23 remaining. BC pulled within a goal on Cassidy Weeks’ score with 15 seconds left, but UNC won the ensuing draw and ran out the clock.
2022 NCAA All-Tournament Team
Jenn Medjid, Boston College, A
Cassidy Weeks, Boston College, M
Charlotte North, Boston College, A
Melanie Welch, Boston College, D
Hannah Leubecker, Maryland, A
Lauren Gilbert, Northwestern, A
Ally Mastroianni, North Carolina, M
Emily Nalls, North Carolina, D
Emma Trenchard, North Carolina, D
Jamie Ortega, North Carolina, A
Taylor Moreno, North Carolina, GK
Most Outstanding Player: Sam Geiersbach, North Carolina, A
2022 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship (Homewood Field, Baltimore)
Friday, May 27 - Semifinals
No. 1 North Carolina 15, No. 4 Northwestern 14
No. 3 Boston College 17, No. 2 Maryland 16
Sunday, May 29 - Championship
No. 1 North Carolina 12, No. 3 Boston College 11