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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- After a fast-paced first half, the Virginia Tech lacrosse team allowed the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels to slowly pull away, and the Hokies eventually fell 14-5 at Thompson Field Wednesday evening. Tech led for the opening minutes, and kept things close throughout the first half, but was unable to hold on for the full 60 minutes. Megan Will led Tech with three goals, while five different North Carolina players put away two goals each.
The Hokies (5-7, 0-4 ACC) got out to a strong start as they won the opening draw and Will struck first, just over a minute into the game. She quickly gave Tech a 2-0 lead three minutes later when she attacked from the left side and found the back of the goal.
Maggie Bill put North Carolina (8-2, 2-1 ACC) on the board less than 30 seconds later, but the goal didn’t slow Will at all. The senior notched her 13th hat trick in 16 games on a pass from Meghan Macera 11 seconds after the Tar Heel goal.
Brittney Coppa sparked a four-goal run for North Carolina when she put away a free position goal with 23:55 remaining in the first half. The Tar Heel run spanned nearly ten minutes before Kristine Loscalzo got the Hokies back to within one, 5-4, when she picked up a saved 8-meter shot that drew North Carolina’s goalie out of position and left the cage wide open for the score.
The Tar Heels tacked on four more goals before the break to take a 9-4 lead into the half. Despite the 26-8 shooting advantage for North Carolina in the first half, the Hokies were the more productive team, scoring on half of their attempts.
The high-paced play slowed for both teams in the second half, as the Tar Heels slowly added to their total in the first 13 minutes of the second half. Meg Bartley broke up the run and tried to get something going for Tech with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game, but the Hokies were unable to spark a comeback.
Meagh Graham and the Hokies’ defense played a strong game, holding North Carolina’s top three scorers to just four total goals. Graham finished the full game with 12 saves. Caylee Waters made the start in cage for the Tar Heels and earned the win, finishing the first 30 minutes with three saves. Megan Ward played the full second half and finished with six saves, allowing just one goal.
The Hokies remain at home this week to wrap up a three-game home stretch with William & Mary on Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech lacrosse, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Lax
