FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — That was no ordinary hug between Jenny and Kate Levy.
Minutes after North Carolina women’s lacrosse put the finishing touch on an undefeated campaign by defeating Northwestern, 12-8, in the NCAA Division I Tournament final Sunday afternoon before an announced 14,423 at Gillette Stadium, the Levys wrapped each other in an embrace that one might expect from a mother-daughter duo. But the vigorous clutching illustrated the joy they felt for themselves and each other.
For Jenny Levy, the Roland Park graduate guided the program to its fourth national title (all under her direction) and first since 2022. That she could accomplish that objective with a roster that included her daughter, a freshman midfielder, was gratifying.
For Kate Levy, who graduated from McDonogh after spending her junior and senior years there and was last year’s All-Metro Player of the Year, she scored the second goal in a 5-0 run bridging the first and second quarters that put the Tar Heels ahead for good. That she could contribute to making her and Jenny the first daughter-player/mother-coach pair to capture the NCAA crown was satisfying.
The Levys were not the only individuals on the North Carolina team with ties to the Baltimore area. Junior attacker Caroline Godine, an Owings Mills resident and McDonogh graduate, notched an assist and then a goal in the first quarter and finished with four points coming off the bench.
Redshirt junior defender Adair Martin, a Stevenson resident and Bryn Mawr graduate, got some minutes on the field.
The foursome chipped into a momentous worst-to-first reversal for the Tar Heels. Since a stunning 17-8 loss to Florida on May 10, 2024, that ushered them out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history and first time since 1999, they completed a 380-day trek back to the top of the mountain.
By going 22-0, North Carolina became the 12th team to navigate a season without a blemish. The last team to achieve that? The Tar Heels squad that also went 22-0 in 2022.
The Wildcats opened the game’s scoring when redshirt sophomore attacker Abby LoCascio converted a feed by junior attacker Madison Taylor in the first quarter. But North Carolina scored five straight goals in an 11:29 stretch.
Northwestern scored the next two goals to trim the deficit to 5-3 early in the third quarter. But the Tar Heels scored five of the game’s next six goals to shut the door on any notion of another spirited comeback by the Wildcats.
North Carolina was fueled by redshirt freshman attacker Chloe Humphrey’s game highs in both goals (four) and points (five) and older sister and graduate student attacker Ashley Humphrey’s four assists.
Graduate student goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer set a Northwestern single-game record with 17 saves, also a career high. And junior attacker Madison Taylor posted four assists.
The outcome was disappointing for Wildcats coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who played a starring role in Maryland’s run to its third and fourth national titles in 1995 and 1996 and has been the architect of all eight of the program’s NCAA championships. The team had lost to Boston College and North Carolina in the regular season and edged Johns Hopkins and Maryland by one goal each to claim its Big Ten-leading fifth tournament crown, but rallied from an 11-6 deficit after three quarters to stun the No. 2 seed Eagles, 12-11, in Friday’s semifinal.
The result also denied senior defender Sammy White, a Timonium resident and Dulaney graduate, a chance to collect another national title to add to the one they earned in 2023. Two other local products on the roster are senior attacker Jordan Miles, a Baltimore resident and Spalding graduate, and sophomore midfielder Noel Cumberland, a Fallston resident and Maryvale Prep graduate.
The emotions might have been especially poignant for Miles and older sister Niki, a graduate student attacker who grew up in California and went to school there. Both had transferred to the Wildcats with Niki moving from Penn and Jordan from High Point.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
