May 15, 2002

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Date & Time: Friday, May 17, 2002, 7:30 p.m.
Site: Curley Field (artificial turf/5,000), Loyola College, Baltimore, Md.
Carolina's Series Record vs. Princeton: First meeting
Websites: North Carolina (TarHeelBlue.com); Princeton (www.goprincetontigers.com)

Carolina Making Third Final Four Appearance in Seventh Year as a Program
The University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team, seeded No. 3 in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, will face No. 2 seed Princeton in the national semifinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.

Top-seeded Georgetown will face No. 4 seed Cornell in the opener at 5:30 p.m. The Final Four will be held at Curley Field on the campus of Loyola College.

The Tar Heels are making their third Final Four appearance in their program's seven-year history. Carolina also reached the national semifinals in 1997 and '98. Carolina has won a school-record 12 consecutive games. The Tar Heels have not lost since a March 23 loss at Virginia, winning the ACC Tournament along the way.

In the final IWLCA national rankings, Carolina (17-2) was ranked No. 3 and Princeton (17-1) was No. 1. The two teams are two of only three teams (Georgetown is the other) to have been ranked in the top five all season long.

Carolina's Final Four History
Friday's game with Princeton marks Carolina's third NCAA Final Four appearance in its seventh year as a varsity program. The Tar Heels also reached the national semifinals in 1997 and 1998, just the second and third years of the team's existence.

In 1997, UNC lost to Loyola, 10-8, in Bethlehem, Pa., in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels finished the season 14-4.

In 1998, Carolina lost to eventual national champion Maryland, 14-9, in Baltimore, Md. The matchup was the third of the season between the two ACC rivals after Carolina won the first two - 10-9 in Chapel Hill in the regular season and 12-10 in the ACC Tournament in Charlottesville, Va. Carolina finished 15-3 in '98, setting a school record for wins in a season (since broken this season by the 2002 Tar Heels).

McPike Doubtful to Play this Weekend
Carolina senior midfielder Christine McPike, the 2002 ACC Player of the Year, ACC MVP and one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, tore her right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the Tar Heels' first-round win over UMBC on May 9. She did not play in the quarterfinal win over Virginia last Sunday, sitting on the UNC bench in uniform but with a full-length cast on her right leg.

McPike is listed as doubtful for this weekend's action. She has been continuing rehabilitation on a daily basis since shortly after the injury and has been fitted with a brace, leaving open the possibility that she could play in a limited role.

McPike went down with 18:20 left in the first half of the UMBC game and Carolina leading, 8-0. She was taken to UNC Hospitals for examination before returning to the bench late in the game on crutches and wearing an air cast.

New School Record for Wins in a Season
Carolina enters Friay's game against Princeton with an overall record of 17-2. The 17 wins are a new school record for most wins in a season, eclipsing the prior mark of 15, set in 1998 when the Tar Heels made their second straight Final Four appearance.

12-Game Winning Streak Equals School Record
Carolina's win over Virginia in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals was its 12th in a row, surpassing the previous school record 11-game winning streak (set in 1997 on the way to the first Final Four in school history).

Heels Outlast Virginia, 14-13 in OT, to Advance to Final Four
Kellie Thompson scored two goals late in regulation to force overtime and Lindsay Stone scored the game-winner with just three seconds left in the first overtime period as the UNC women's lacrosse team defeated Virginia, 14-13, on May 12 in Chapel Hill.

Thompson led all scorers with seven points (5 goals, 2 assists). Stone and Beth Ames both had three goals and one assist for Carolina.

The two teams were tied at 7-7 at halftime and UVa scored three consecutive goals in a span of 1:36 to give the Cavaliers a 12-10 lead with less than 20 minutes to play. Tar Heel head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy called a timeout at that point and Virginia did not score in the remainder of regulation. Thompson scored a pair of goals in the last 12 minutes to force the overtime.

Molly Cangemi of UVa scored with 0:55 remaining in the first of two three-minute overtime periods to give the Cavs a 13-12 lead. It was the only goal Virginia would score in the final 24:09 of the game, as the UNC defense clamped down and the Tar Heels dominated possession of the ball.

Carolina scored two goals in the final 30 seconds of the first overtime period. Thompson tied the score at 13-13 with 0:23 left and Stone scored the game-winner with just 0:03 remaining. UNC won the draw control to start the second three-minute overtime period and maintained possession for the entire three minutes to ice the victory.

Tar Heels Run Past UMBC in Opening Round
Kellie Thompson scored an NCAA Tournament-record eight goals and added two assists as Carolina defeated Maryland-Baltimore County, 22-6, on May 9 in NCAA Tournament opening-round action at Henry Stadium.

With the win, Carolina (16-2) set a new school record with their 16th win of the season and equalled a school record with its 11th win in a row. UMBC fell to12-4 to end the season after its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

The Tar Heels tied a school record with 22 goals in the game and came within one goal of the NCAA Tournament single-game record, set on two previous occasions.

Thompson's eight goals and 10 total points both are single-game school records. With her third goal of the game at the 5:48 mark, Thompson broke her own school record with her 52nd score of the season. She now has 57 goals on the year.

Thompson also broke the UNC career scoring record on Thursday afternoon. She now has 215 career points in her four-year Tar Heel career, breaking the previous UNC mark of 211 set by Erin McGinnis (1996-99).

Record-Setting Game for Thompson vs. UMBC
Senior midfielder Kellie Thompson scored an NCAA Tournament-record eight goals and added two assists (for 10 points) as Carolina defeated UMBC on May 9 in Chapel Hill. The NCAA Tournament single-game record for points by an individual is 11, set last year by Maryland's Jen Adams.

Thompson's eight goals and 10 total points both are single-game UNC records. With her third goal of the game at the 5:48 mark, Thompson broke her own school record with her 52nd score of the season. She now has 62 goals on the year.

Thompson also broke the UNC career scoring record against UMBC. She now has 222 points in her four-year Tar Heel career, breaking the previous UNC mark of 211 set by Erin McGinnis (1996-99). She is already Carolina's career goals leader with 161. The previous record was 149 by McGinnis.

Thompson was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team in April after totaling eight goals and one assist in UNC's two Tournament wins. She had five goals and an assist in the semifinals versus Duke and three goals in the championship game against Maryland.

Five NCAA Quarterfinal Appearances in Seven Years
With their NCAA first-round win over UMBC on May 9, the Tar Heels clinched their fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in their seventh year as a varsity program. Carolina has earned an NCAA bid in each of the last six seasons, missing the Tournament only in its inaugural varsity season of 1996. In five of those last six seasons (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002), the Tar Heels reached the NCAA Tournament quartefinals.

In '97, '98 and 2002, UNC reached the NCAA Final Four.

Tar Heels Enter NCAA Tournament as No. 3 Seed
The University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team was seeded No. 3 in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, receiving an at-large bid to the 16-team tournament field (the ACC does not receive one of the seven automatic bids, but all four ACC teams were selected for the NCAA Tournament). The Tar Heels were ranked No. 3 in the final Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll of the season.

"We're thrilled to be the third seed and host the first weekend," Carolina head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy said upon release of the bids. "We've completed a solid regular season and achieved one of our team goals when we won the ACC Tournament. But our ultimate goal is the national title and there is a lot of lacrosse left to be played. All 16 teams in the tournament enter with a clean slate, and it will be interesting to see how things shake out. I think it will be an extremely competitive tournament."

The Series - Carolina vs. Princeton
Carolina and Princeton have never met in women's lacrosse prior to Friday night's national semifinals.

Carolina in the NCAA Tournament
The Tar Heels have an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 5-5. UNC has reached the NCAA semifinals three times - in 1997, 1998 and 2002. It has advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the last three seasons.

A program in only its seventh season as a varsity team, North Carolina is making its third Final Four appearance, fifth quarterfinal appearance and sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and this year.

The Tar Heels have an all-time tournament record of 5-5, including 4-1 at home, 1-2 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites.

McPike Named One of Five Finalists for Tewaaraton Trophy
On May 7, senior midfielder Christine McPike, the 2002 ACC Player of the Year, was named one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the top individual award in women's lacrosse given to the National Player of the Year.

McPike Highlights:
* One of five finalists for the 2002 Tewaaraton Trophy
* Named 2002 ACC Player of the Year, UNC's first-ever
* Named 2002 ACC Tournament MVP after scoring seven goals (five in the championship game) in UNC's two ACC Tournament wins
* Named All-ACC in 2001 and 2002
* Eighth in the ACC in goals scored (2.35 per game), 10th in scoring (2.65 points per game) and fifth in caused turnovers (1.82 per game)
* Third among UNC players in goals scored with 40 and fourth with 45 points
* Against Virginia on March 16, McPike broke her nose during the game but still returned to the game with a hard plastic mask for protection and scored three goals.
* Has scored multiple goals in 12 of her 17 games this season

McPike Leads Three Tar Heel All-ACC Selections
Midfielder Christine McPike, attacker Lindsay Stone and defender Porter Wilkinson all were named to the All-ACC team for 2002 in a vote of the conference's coaches. McPike (see above) also was named UNC's first-ever ACC Player of the Year.

Stone Highlights:
* Named All-ACC for the second season in a row in 2002
* Leads North Carolina with 22 assists, is second with 46 goals and is second with 68 points this season
* Has set career highs in all three categories this season
* Fifth in the ACC in scoring, sixth in goals, fourth in assists and second in draw controls
* Two-time ACC Player of the Week this season
* Consistent player who has at least one goal in all but two Tar Heel games this season
* Has scored multiple goals in 14 of 19 games in 2002
* All-ACC and a second-team All-America in 2001

Wilkinson Highlights:
* Named All-ACC for the third season in a row in 2002 - Carolina's first-ever three-time All-ACC honoree
* One of the best defenders in the nation over the last three seasons
* Has started the last 54 games - every UNC game in the last three seasons
* The leader of a Tar Heel defensive unit that leads the ACC and is sixth in the nation in team defense this season at 7.49 goals allowed per game.
* Two-time All-America selection prior to this season

Slingluff Levy Named 2002 ACC Co-Coach of the Year
Carolina head coach Jenny Slingluff Levy was named the 2002 co-ACC Coach of the Year in a vote of the conference's coaches. Slingluff Levy shares the honor with Virginia's Julie Myers.

The ACC Coach of the Year honor is the second in Slingluff's seven seasons as the Tar Heel head coach. She also won the award in 1998.

Hoffman Fourth Nationally in Goals Allowed Average
Carolina sophomore goalkeeper Katelyn Hoffman was fourth in the nation in goals allowed average in the latest NCAA rankings (through games of May 12). Hoffman has allowed 136 goals in 1107 minutes in 19 games for a GAA of 7.37.

As a team, Carolina ranks sixth in team defense with 7.29 goals allowed per game.

Tar Heel Defense Leading the ACC
Carolina leads the ACC and is fifth nationally in team defense with a goals-allowed average of 7.49 per game. UNC is also fourth in the nation in caused turnovers with 14.53 per game (through games of May 12).

Four Tar Heels are among the top 10 players in the ACC in caused turnovers, led by Andy Fortino (2.21 per game, second). Fellow UNC players Meghan Kelly (2.05, fourth), Christine McPike (1.82, fifth) and Jazmine Norton (1.79, sixth) also rank in the top 10.

Goalkeeper Katelyn Hoffman leads the conference in goals-against average at 7.37, more than a full goal better than second-place Kristen Foster of Duke (8.97), who was named to the All-ACC team last month.

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