The North Carolina Tar Heels and Northwestern lacrosse teams meet Friday, May 27 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament Final Four. The first game will start at 3:00pm ET (schedule changed) due to the weather forecast. In their earlier match on March 6, the Tar Heels controlled the game from start to finish, beating NU 12-5 in the second half. North Carolina is yet to lose a game this season, defeating their first NCAA tournament opponent Virginia (10-10, 3-5 ACC) 24-2.
Game Information:
Location: Homewood Field (Baltimore, Md.)
playing time: 3:00
TV/Streaming: GamePassTV
No. 1 North Carolina had the toughest time of the top four seeds on Thursday night when the Tar Heels met No. 8 Stony Brook. The Seawolves went into halftime with a 4-3 lead, but UNC fired in the second half, defeating Stony Brook 4-1 to earn the 8-5 win.
like watching Women’s College Lacrosse Semifinals
The Final Four will take place on Friday, May 27th in Baltimore, Maryland and will be broadcast on ESPNU. The national championship game is scheduled to air Sunday, May 29 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN in Baltimore, Maryland. Viewers can be streamed through GamepassTV for a one-time payment, meaning you get access to both the men’s and women’s lacrosse championship game in one basket.
Matchups between North Carolina and the Northwest
The Tar Heels showed weaknesses in their quarterfinal match against Stony Brooks’ stingy defense. The Seawolves (16-3, 6-0 America East) held North Carolina to their lowest goalscoring record of the entire season by just eight goals in the Tar Heels’ 8-5 win.
Stony Brook set up a 2-3-2 zone from the eight yard with a “Rover” in the middle to take down cross crease passes. The Seawolves forced 18 turnovers in the game, almost seven more than their season average of 11.1. The Tar Heels made enough adjustments to win the game, but with NU’s ability at the draw circle, that tight defensive style could help the Cats maintain possession.
NU’s defense, while not as powerful as Stony Brooks’ number one defence, has been a team strength in the tournament so far, led by veteran goalkeeper Madison Doucette. Doucette made 11 saves and conceded just four goals in the quarterfinals game against Syracuse.
The duel between NU and North Carolina in the draw circle will be one of the stories of the game. Both teams are among the nation’s best at the draw, with the Cats winning 59.7% of their draws this season and the Tar Heels winning 58.4%.
There’s no formula for beating North Carolina — no team has done it this season. The Tar Heels are elite in every aspect of the game. But last season, despite going undefeated through to the semifinals, Boston College defeated them in a close 11-10 matchup.
This weekend marks the end of the careers of many seniors and graduate students at NU. Doucette, who hasn’t said if she plans to use her extra year of eligibility, said she couldn’t think of a better way to end her senior season than in the Final Four.
Maryland vs. No. 3 Boston College Second Semifinal
Maryland ranks eighth in Division I for goals per game (16.1) and backs that with a defense that ranks second (7.4). Senior forward Aurora Cordingley leads the terps with 3.8 goals per game. The Eagles are the reigning national champions with Charlotte North (3.9 goals per game) and Jenn Medjid (3.3 goals per game). Maryland defeated Boston College 12-10 in the 2019 national championship game.
