Sunday Wrap: UNC-BC Rematch on Tap After Wild ACC Semis

The first automatic bid to the NCAA tournament was doled out on Sunday, as Saint Joseph’s earned the Atlantic 10’s nod with an upset win over UMass.

There weren’t any other championship games Sunday, but there was conference semifinal action in the ACC and Patriot League.

HAWKS SOAR TO TITLE

Saint Joseph’s entered the Atlantic 10 championship tournament knowing that a gauntlet lay ahead.

A first-round matchup against sixth-seeded George Washington couldn’t be looked past. Then, after a six-goal win, the third-seeded Hawks snuck past second-seeded Richmond by a goal.

On Sunday, Saint Joseph’s completed the improbable Cinderella run.

Lauren Figura scored five times (giving her 13 total goals in the A-10 tournament) to lead the Hawks in a come-from-behind 15-11 win over top-seeded UMass in the conference championship game. It is the first A-10 championship in program history.

UNC, BC SET FOR EPIC REMATCH

Both North Carolina and Notre Dame made a strong case to win Sunday’s ACC semifinal. Playing on its home turf at Arlotta, the Irish scored the afternoon’s first five goals.

UNC, undefeated and No. 1 in the nation, just needed a little time to wake up. The Tar Heels scored 12 of the next 13 goals, which proved just enough to hold off a late Notre Dame run in a 14-13 UNC victory.

Mary Kelly Doherty scored twice during Notre Dame’s opening 5-0 run, and UNC didn’t score until Scottie Rose Growney struck with 7:45 left in the first quarter. Growney would score twice more during that 12-1 run — including the go-ahead goal at 6-5 — to help UNC to a 12-6 lead.

In a game of runs, Notre Dame still had a big push left in it. Just two days after upsetting Duke to save its season, the Irish scored six of the next seven goals. Jackie Wolak’s 38^th strike of the season put her side down 13-12 with 6:32 to play.

But there was Growney, who scored what proved to be the winning goal less than one minute later.

UNC will play Boston College in next Saturday’s ACC championship game. Boston College earned a 20-12 win over Virginia on the strength of six goals and one assist from Cassidy Weeks and three goals and six assists from Belle Smith.

Kayla Martello and Jenn Medjid each notched hat tricks.

The Eagles never trailed after taking a 2-0 lead, but Virginia hung around and was as close as 14-11 with 2:40 left in the third quarter. But the Eagles scored the next five goals — one each from Weeks, Martello, Smith, Annie Walsh and Charlotte North — to put the game out of reach.

LEHIGH, NAVY ADVANCE IN PATRIOT LEAGUE

Mired in a back-and-forth first round game against fifth-seeded Colgate, fourth-seeded Lehigh finally broke through in the second and third quarters, scoring seven of eight goals to eventually capture a 12-7 win.

Colgate had beaten Lehigh 10-9 three days prior in the regular-season finale. Katia Carnevale scored five goals and eclipsed 100 career tallies in the process.

Clinging to a 5-4 lead after Eliza Farriss scored for Colgate, Gabby Schneider kickstarted a 7-1 run that completely flipped the momentum of the game. Carnevale scored three times during the run, and Emma Eberhardt’s goal put her side ahead 12-5 with 6:53 left.

Lehigh will play top-seeded Loyola on Thursday in a Patriot League semifinal.

In the other first-round game, third-seeded Navy got six goals and two assists from Reagan Roelofs and five goals and one assist from Gil Eby in a 23-13 thumping of sixth-seeded American.

The Mids will play second-seeded Army on Thursday.

HOW THE NIKE/USAL TOP 20 FARED

No. 1 North Carolina defeated Notre Dame 14-13
No. 2 Boston College defeated No. 18 Virginia 20-12
Saint Joseph’s defeated No. 17 UMass 15-11

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