By Dalton Ray–

Hosting second-ranked North Carolina, No. 20 women’s lacrosse couldn’t handle the hot second-half shooting, falling 15-11.  Louisville opened the game leading 7-3, but UNC ended the game on a 12-4 scoring run.

Sophomore Meghan Siverson ended with three goals and three more Cardinals added two goals each.

Coach Kellie Young said she knew the opportunity her team had in the first half.

“We had a 7-3 lead at one point. They had one player that scored seven goals, we had a plan for that and we didn’t follow that,” Young said. “I’m proud of the effort we put on the field, in terms of physically and continuing to attack. We need to get to the point where we know we can play with anyone in the country.”

In the opening minutes, both teams exchanged goals to make it 1-1 with 26 minutes to play. Louisville scored three unanswered goals before North Carolina connected on their second goal.

Goalkeeper Brittany Read made two big-time saves in the opening 10 minutes to preserve the lead. Senior Hannah Koloski, the nation’s leading goal-scorer, pushed the Louisville lead to 5-2 after slipping through defenders for her 54th goal of the year.

Junior Madison Hoover wrapped around the goal to find sophomore McKayla Conti for the goal. After the Siverson’s second goal, the Cards led 7-3 with six minutes to play.

Despite trailing, North Carolina remained calm and waited for their opportunity. Their patience paid off as they ended the half scoring three straight goals.

After the halftime horn, Young had an extended discussion with the officials and UNC assistant coach Phil Barnes about coaches’ influence on officiating.

Siverson’s third goal of the match made the score 8-7 Louisville, but the Heels didn’t wait long to tie the game at eight.

Once North Carolina knotted the game, the fifth-highest scoring offense began to flex their muscles. UNC scored five unanswered to make the game 13-8.

Juniors Jillian Balog and Taylor Webster scored their second goals of the game to give Louisville a late sign of life.

North Carolina kept their distance, adding two goals to finish the match.

Photos by Isaac Sanchez / The Louisville Cardinal