Top-seeded North Carolina used a powerful defensive effort Sunday to thwart No. 2 seed Syracuse and win the 2021 ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, 9-4, at Dorrance Field.
North Carolina (18-0) captured its fifth straight ACC Championship and the sixth in program history. Carolina also won its 15th consecutive ACC Tournament game, breaking the previous record of 14, set by Maryland from 2009-14. Carolina’s last ACC Tournament loss came in the 2015 championship game to Syracuse.
Jamie Ortega recorded a hat trick and two assists for the Tar Heels, while Melissa Sconone scored a pair of goals and added an assist. Katie Hoeg tallied a goal and an assist. She finished with 14 assists in the tournament, breaking her own ACC record of 12, set in 2019. Senior defender Caroline Wakefield highlighted Carolina’s stifling defensive effort, recording five caused turnovers and picking up four ground balls.