CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Eva van't Hoog's hat trick and two goals from Austyn Cuneo sent third-ranked North Carolina past Longwood 8-1 Friday evening at Henry Stadium.
 
North Carolina (11-1) entered the matchup ranked third nationally with 4.27 goals per game and carried that attack to the Lancers with seven first-half goals. Van't Hoog and Cuneo combined for five of those before halftime to spark the Tar Heels' seventh straight win.
 
The eight-goal outburst was the continuation of a dominant offensive stretch for North Carolina, which has now scored eight goals in three consecutive games. The Tar Heels have outscored opponents 55-16 on the season, good enough for the third-best scoring margin in the nation.
 
The Lancers (4-7, 2-2 MAC) settled down after half, matching the Tar Heels 1-1 over the final 35 minutes of play. Longwood's lone goal came from sophomore Kate Colley in the 54th minute in a sequence that started on a penalty corner inserted by senior Jennifer Burris. Meghan O'Connor took the initial shot off the set piece, and Colley corralled the rebound off Mary Kathryn Harrah's pads before scoring the first goal of her collegiate career.
 
Longwood goalkeeper Lauren Bernard took the brunt of North Carolina's high-volume attack, facing 27 of the Tar Heels' 29 shots. The junior keeper recorded a season-high nine saves on the night, but North Carolina slipped eight goals past her, nearly equaling the nine total goals Bernard had allowed in three games prior.
 
The loss comes in the Lancers' second straight game against a top-five program, following the 7-0 loss at No. 5 Duke on Oct. 4. Longwood now enters the final third of the regular season with six matchups remaining, including the final two home games on Oct. 11 versus Georgetown and Oct. 16 against Appalachian State.
 
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