North Carolina attacker Chloe Humphrey wound up to take a shot.
The game was tied 11-11, and any goal had the chance to completely shift the momentum of the game.
Humphrey, who was later named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, had been quiet most of the day. Northwestern’s defense held her to just two goals up to that point, after she averaged more than five per game entering Sunday’s contest.
This moment, however, seemed likely to give Humphrey the hat trick and the Tar Heels (19-2, 10-0 ACC) a lead with just over nine and a half minutes to go.
She weaved through the defense, aimed for the goal and fired.
Enter graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco.
Cuocco, a second-team IWLCA All-American, followed Humphrey throughout the play and blocked the ball with her stick. The game remained tied, and Humphrey’s offensive struggles continued.
For Cuocco, the Wildcats’ (19-3, 7-1 Big Ten) shutdown defense was a result of their collective effort throughout the year.
“It’s not me,” Cuocco said postgame. “It’s my defense. They gave me the shots I wanted to see. They put their bodies on the line to get a call overturned, and they are just animals. I work for them, and they work for me. It goes vice versa, and that is a reflection of them and the hard work they have done all season.”
North Carolina’s offense, which ranked first in the country at 17.52 goals per game, couldn’t find the back of the net for the entire fourth quarter, marking its first scoreless quarter since March 30, 2025, against Notre Dame.
All game, Humphrey struggled to get things going, thanks to sophomore defender Mary Carroll — playing in her second straight championship against North Carolina — locking her and the rest of the Tar Heels down.
“I expected nothing less from Mary,” Cuocco said. “She’s a beast and a dog. She pushes us during the week in practice, and she pushes us and our attackers to be even better. So, it does not even surprise me that she did so great.”
One of the reasons Carroll and NU’s defense were successful was turnovers, as the raucous crowd had the Tar Heels playing flustered and more prone to giving the ball up easily. North Carolina finished with 20 turnovers, the most it has had in a game since at least 2020.
Tar Heels coach Jenny Levy noted the ’Cats’ defensive success, giving them credit for taking advantage of the openings her team provided.
“We know they play zone and they set in lots of spaces,” Levy said. “Tactically, their defense just (did) a good job today. Also, I thought we could have moved a little bit more. We were (playing a) seven-down — they did a great job.”
Carroll and redshirt junior midfielder Jaylen Rosga led the defensive effort, causing a combined six turnovers. Rosga continued her strong weekend performance, leading the ’Cats and the Final Four with seven caused turnovers over the final two games.
Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said she believes the defense grew as a unit from the start of the season — which included being upset by then-unranked foes Colorado and Ohio State — into the one that became the first team to win a national championship on home turf in 40 years.
“Jaylen, she is just our leader; she’s the speaking leader,” Amonte Hiller said. “The job Mary did today was truly incredible … (The team) just played together. They never stopped believing”
As a team, NU found a second gear during championship weekend, causing 30 turnovers while its opponents only forced 24. Humphrey, who averaged just over 2.5 turnovers per game, had four in the championship, with two of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Cuocco said the defense was successful at stopping the UNC attack because of their belief in themselves.
“We poured into each other, belief, everything we could, and I’m just so proud of their fight all game,” Cuocco said.
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