The Stony Brook SeaWolves (16-3) gave the Ladies University Tar Heels (20-0) all they could handle but, fell short, 8-5, in NCAA DI Quarter Final action at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C
Kevin M. Neibauer
LaxPhilly– A Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network.
The Sea Wolves held the dynamic Jamie Ortega scoreless while nearly pulling off the upset.
First Quarter:
Another defensive battle unfurled with Ellie Masera (2g) putting Stony Brook in front with 3:51 played. The Tar Heels shrugged it off with Brooklyn Neuman (1g) followed by grad Transfer, Sam Geiersbach (2g,1a) putting home a Scottie Rose Growney (1a) picture perfect feed that signalled the end of the net benders in the opening stanza.
End of One, 2-1 UNC.
On to Quarter Two:
The ‘Heels pushed it to a 3-1 game, thanks to Elizabeth Hillman (1g) potting her 10th of the season. Stony Brook countered with a pair from Jaden Hamper (2g) putting home her 20th and 21st. The second quarter shut out of UNC concluded with Shioban Rafferty (1g) putting her 32nd behind Taylor Moreno to close the half.
End of Half: 4-3 Stony Brook.
Third:
The Carolina fortunes changed in the second half with a 6-1 thirty minutes. Player of the Game, Andie Aldave, took over with a pretty set up for the 29th from Geiersbach. Masera had an answer five minutes later before the Tide would turn. Aldave followed by Caitlyn Wurzburger, (1g) flexed their muscles with Aldave scoring at 2:18 and Wurzburger hitting a buzzer beater with a second on the clock.
End of Three, 6-5 UNC.
The Heels Continued to Dominate:
Aldave put home her 49th at 11:58 and, not satisfied, collected her 50th with 1:51 remaining.UNC moves to the final four by virtue of the 8-5 win.
“I think it was a good test for us,” said Netminder, Taylor Moreno. “I would rather have a hard game and challenging game than a breeze-through one, so I thought this was huge for us in terms of continuing to improve and get better as a team.”
Inside the Numbers:
• Shots were 25-22 for Stony Brook while UNC put more on net, 16-15, Turnovers had 18 for the Tar Heels with 15 for the Brook. Ground Balls were equally close, 14-13 for UNC.
• For Stony Brook, Charlie Campbell knocked back 8 shots with counterpart, Taylor Moreno stopping 10.
• The UNC Senior Class (2018-2022) are now an unworldly 81-9 with Moreno posting a 68-6 record.
• The Tarheels move on to face Northwestern in the Semi Final round on May 27 in Baltimore Maryland.
• How dominant is UNC? They have won 47 of their last 48 and 55 of 57.
“It was obviously a tough game, and congratulations to Stony Brook. We’re not surprised they came in feisty and well prepared. Their zone [defense] shifted a little bit from what we’d seen on film, so it took us a little time to shift to that. Taylor Moreno and our defense were amazing tonight. It started with our one-on-one stuff, then our help defense and Taylor being able to make saves. Holding this team to five goals is great. I thought the middle of our field did great, our draw crew did great. Our offense, it wasn’t the performance they wanted, but they gutted it out. Sometimes you don’t have to win pretty, you just need to advance.
“We’re not going to hang onto this too long, We will learn from it, in case we see another zone. Stony Brook has the best zone in the country.” UNC Coach, Jenny Levy.
UNC Survives a Scare.
Kevin has followed and promoted the game of lacrosse since May 19, 1974.
The same day the Philadelphia Flyers won the Cup, the Philadelphia Wings were introduced to Neibauer and Philadelphia.
Kevin has covered many sports, including baseball, football, basketball, and.. lacrosse. A former licensed football referee and baseball umpire, Kevin brings a unique insight to his game coverage.
A published writer in JustHockey Magazine, Kevin covered the American Hockey League as well as a monthly story on a pugilist where Kevin used the pen name, The Rink Rat. Neibauer turned his attentions to lacrosse for a few years and does his part, whether podcasting or writing to grow the game. Kevin branched out to his roots and currently provides insight for all Philadelphia teams for Edge of Philly as well as his full-time duties with LaxPhilly.
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