Hokies fall at No. 5 North Carolina 13-12

McGinley, Harden each record hat tricks on the evening

March 28, 2018

	1	2	F
(17) Virginia Tech (9-4)	4	8	12
(5) North Carolina (7-3)	6	7	13
Kenan Stadium - 295 Box Score

North Carolina scored the opening three goals, which they used to build a 6-1 lead in the first 14 minutes against the Hokies. Tech would eventually storm back to take the lead with 4:09 remaining, but two goals in the final two minutes by Carolina’s Oliva Ferrucci stopped the Hokies comeback in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Our team showed the resiliency to win today,” said head coach John Sung. “We gave up two goals in the beginning of the game that hurt us. We used a ton of energy fighting back.”

The Loss drops the seventeenth-ranked Hokies to 9-4 and 2-1 in ACC play on the season, ahead of their next contest, Saturday afternoon at Louisville.

On the offensive end, Tristan McGinley and Emma Harden lead the Hokies attack, scoring four and three respectively. Mary Clarie Byrne recorded two goals while Marissa Davey, Paige Petty and Taylor Caskey each found the back of the net once.

“Tristan and Emma lead our attack and once we got comfortable and settled in we were able to compete,” Sung said.

“We needed to win a few more draw controls today,” said head coach Sung.

The Tar Heels won the draw control battle 16-11 against Tech, while the Hokies won the turnover battle, forcing 14 to Carolina’s 11.

Tech made more hustle plays all game long, picking up 18 ground balls to the Tar Heels’ 13.

Meagh Graham played well in goal for the Hokies, causing two turnovers and picking up three ground balls to go along with her eight saves.

Next Up: Tech travels to Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, March 31 for an ACC match. The Hokies and Cardinals are scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and can be seen on ACC Network Extra.

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