'We are just one big family': How UNC women's lacrosse capped perfect season with NCAA title
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — From the inaugural faceoff in February to the final buzzer on championship weekend, UNC women's lacrosse never took its foot off the gas.
The Tar Heels were the gold standard for 2025, and on Sunday, May 25, at Gillette Stadium, they left no doubt they were the best team in the country, storming past Northwestern 12-8 to claim their fourth national championship.
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This marked UNC's first time in championship weekend since their title win in 2022, and their prowess throughout the tournament points to a dynasty in the making.
The centerpiece is redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey. Chloe notched four goals and an assist in the win over the Wildcats on Sunday, bumping her up to 11 goals scored over two games this holiday weekend.
MORE HEELS WINS: Tar Heels hammer Tigers, win ACC Tournament championship
LIVE UPDATES: See how the NCAA women's lacrosse final played out
Chloe also got to win the title with two of her sisters on the roster, Ashley and Nicole.
Ashley and Chloe even collaborated for a dynamic goal in the second quarter to put the Tar Heels up 5-1, showcasing the dominant Humphrey connection that's been terrorizing defenses all season.
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'It's just so awesome,' Chloe said. 'That connection and being able to live out our dream together.'
While Chloe gets the spotlight with her elite scoring, it's Ashley's vision that has been setting up the UNC attack all season long.
In the fourth quarter, Ashley dished her fourth assist of the game and 90th of the season to set a new single-season program record.
'She's a point guard for us back there,' head coach Jenny Levy said. 'When things are not going right for us, she understands that. She tells people what they need to know.'
After watching her sister Nicole win the title with UNC in 2022, Ashley made the decision to transfer from Stanford, where she spent her undergrad years. Ashley became determined to play on the same stage her sister did.
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'Just having the opportunity to be here is what I really wanted,' Ashley said. '(Winning) is just the icing on the cake.'
While she knew she was getting to play with two of her sisters, she had no idea she would make 36 more.
'I have 38 sisters,' Ashley said. 'The entire team, the staff, we are just one big family, and although we have some DNA in common, everybody on this team is a family.'
Now, Ashley, Chloe, Nicole and their UNC family can celebrate reaching the ultimate goal. And they did it together.
'It definitely took a lot of sacrifices, a lot of injuries, a lot of comebacks,' Ashley said. 'This is something that no one can ever take away from us.'
Chloe put it simply: 'We can call ourselves national champions now.'
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC women's lacrosse finishes undefeated for NCAA title
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