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EVANSTON, ILLINOIS - MAY 22: The North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate during the first half of the Division I semifinals game against the Maryland Terrapins at Martin Stadium on May 22, 2026 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The UNC women’s lacrosse team punched its ticket back to the national championship game in emphatic fashion on Friday.
The second-seeded Tar Heels outscored third-seeded Maryland 8-2 in the second half for a 16-6 win, with the 10-goal margin matching the Terps’ largest NCAA Tournament loss ever. The game was tied 3-3 early in the second quarter before Carolina seized control with five straight goals.
UNC outshot Maryland 37-23, including a 27-12 advantage in shots on goal (the Terps’ fewest shots on goal this season). The Tar Heels won the turnover battle 15-7 and dominated the ground ball battle 17-4 (another season low for the Terps). The only area they came up short in was draw controls; Maryland won that battle 15-8.
Sophomores Chloe Humphrey and Addison Patillo powered the Carolina offense with five goals each. Sophomores Betty Nelson and Lexi Zenk split halves in goal, with Nelson stopping one of five shots and Zenk stopping five of seven.
UNC will face #1 seed–and Final Four host–Northwestern in the NCAA championship game on Sunday. The teams met in last year’s national title game at Gillette Stadium, with Carolina winning 12-8 to cap off an undefeated season. This year, the Wildcats beat the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on March 25, winning 17-16 in overtime. The loss remains the sole blemish on Carolina’s record in 2026. Northwestern, which last won the NCAA title in 2023, beat #4 seed Johns Hopkins 16-11 after building a 10-3 halftime lead in the other semifinal game on Friday.
Sunday’s matchup will feature Division I’s top two goal scorers: Humphrey with 107, and Northwestern senior Madison Taylor with 96. In the teams’ regular season meeting, Humphrey scored a game-high six goals, while Taylor scored three, including the overtime winner. Humphrey needs three goals to break the NCAA season record–which Taylor set in 2025.
The NCAA championship game will start at 12:00 PM ET on Sunday and will be broadcast on ESPN.
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