How Does a Team Go from Battling Injuries to Battling for a Championship — and Winning It? UNC Women’s Lacrosse Did Just That.
After an undefeated season, the Tar Heels win the national title
After an undefeated season, the No. 1 Carolina Tar Heels secured their fourth national title with a 12-8 win over No. 3 Northwestern. It was clear from the start of the season that this UNC team was a national title contender, beating many teams by 10 or more goals. But that was not the story of this team last season.
The injury bug of 2024
The 2024 season for the Tar Heels was one riddled with injuries. UNC went 10-7 and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Chloe Humphrey missed the entire 2023 season due to a stress fraction in her foot. Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Marissa White, and Kaleigh Harden were also injured that season. Battling through all those injuries cost the Tar Heels their shot at a deep postseason run.
UNC rebounded from the previous season’s struggles and transformed into a championship team in just one year. Coach Levy said that after last season, they knew what they wanted to do going into the fall.
“We’re very focused on keeping things simple and playing to our strengths. And we started building that last season,” said Coach Levy. “A really big style change for us on the defensive side and a style change in the midfield. Just knowing our personnel and what they naturally wanted to do. And we highlighted that.”
2025 powerhouse
Redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey returned to the field and scored three goals in her first game back against James Madison. Humphrey closed the season with a hat trick or more in 18 of 22 games, finishing with 90 goals and 118 points.
“It’s just so fun to just see everyone and what they went through, and now just having fun out there, and we can call ourselves national champions,” said Humphrey.
Those goals came from the Humphrey sister duo. Graduate student Ashley Humphrey had four assists in the national championship and closed the season with 90 assists. This scoring and feeding tandem helped propel the Tar Heels to the national title.
“We did it, so it all made it worth it,” said Ashley Humphrey on last season’s struggles. “It definitely took a lot of sacrifices, a lot of injuries, a lot of comebacks, but it’s something that no one can ever take away from us.”
Brooklyn Walker-Welch’s return and presence on the defensive end was felt. She was quick to help on slides and effective at tracking cutters from the goal line extended to the top of the 8-meter. The leadership of captain Walker-Welch was key to the defense’s success.
So was goalie Betty Nelson. The redshirt freshman stepped up in a big way this season. Nelson had eight saves and allowed eight goals in the national title game and also posted eight saves in the ACC championship win. She finished the season with a 49.6 save percentage and credited her success to her defense’s ability to force specific shots.
“What I do is not without my defense; my saves come from them giving me the shots that I want to see,” said Nelson. “Whatever they do on the field is pivotal for my job.”
The dominance of this team came from a variety of factors. One was the sheer volume of shots UNC generated, averaging 36 shots per game and 22 on cage. The national championship game was no different: the Tar Heels put up 35 shots with 29 on goal while controlling the pace of the game.
They also controlled the draw late to seal the deal, winning eight of 10 draws in the fourth quarter.
All of the success this season wasn’t possible without learning to bounce back from the struggles of last season, leading to an undefeated run and a national championship trophy.