By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/4/22
Scottie Rose Growney knew the goal from the moment she chose to commit to play lacrosse at North Carolina.
“I think when I chose to come to Carolina that winning (a national championship) was a big, big option,” said the Conestoga graduate and fifth-year senior attacker. “It was always going to be in the cards with this program, so I knew coming here it would always mean working toward that goal.”
That hard work paid off in storybook fashion.
On Sunday, Growney and her Tar Heel teammates reached the ultimate goal. UNC defeated Boston College, 12-11, at Homewood Field at Johns Hopkins University to finish 22-0 and claim its first Division I National Championship since 2016.
The win capped a surreal weekend for Growney, whose team had made one of the biggest and dramatic comebacks in NCAA history two days earlier by rallying from 7 goals down in the final 10 minutes to edge Northwestern, 15-14, in the semifinals. Then, late in the title game, with UNC up, 11-10, Growney was temporarily pulled by UNC coach Jenny Levy with orders to go score a goal.
Growney complied by dodging with her left for a crucial insurance tally – her 56th of the season but first of the game – with 2:23 to play. BC scored with 15 seconds to play, but UNC ran out the clock, setting off a celebration that Growney will never forget.
“I felt like I was struggling a little throughout the game – it’s such a big stage and it gets in your head a little,” Growney said of the those last few minutes of the title game. “I was frustrated with myself for not producing as I typically do.
“Jenny came up to me. She said, ‘I want you to dodge,'” Growney continued. “I said, ‘I will do it!’
“We always joke about that I love my left hand. It’s something my dad was very persistent on, that I could use both hands. He’d say, ‘The world isn’t flat. You gotta go both ways.’ So when I went back in I set myself up to go left and let it rip.”
Growney said the elation of winning the championship served as the culmination of 5 years of struggles to meet high expectations. UNC had been a favorite to win it all each year and last year’s semifinal loss to eventual champion BC was a bitter pill.
“I cried a lot (after the championship win), but I definitely cried a lot more after our Friday win,” she said of the comeback victory. “I can’t tell if it was because the game was such a roller coaster of emotions or because I was so relieved and so mentally and physically drained.
“It was such a storybook ending, winning it Sunday. The last 18 seconds felt like 20 minutes. It went so slowly. I kept whipping my neck back to see the clock and when it was over it was an unforgettable feeling. There are no words to describe it – it makes me speechless.”
UNC’s march to the top was filled with adversity. The team was loaded with talent and major impact transfers – one being Episcopal Academy grad Olivia Dirks, who came from Penn State and made major contributions, especially in the Final Four weekend. There were past disappointments even besides the loss to BC in last year’s semis – such as a 2OT loss to BC in the semis 3 years ago when UNC lost a 6-goal lead – but Growney said the coaching staff and players only strengthened their resolve in the past years.
“We came in this year with many members of our class back again (for the COVID year) and we felt it made sense to go out with a bang,” said Growney. “We knew we had one goal and when we found ourselves down so much in the semifinals – although it was really hard – there wasn’t even a doubt in the huddle.
“We knew we had to chip away and then in the end it was all fueled by love. We all wanted to be together one more day and we wanted the opportunity to compete on Sunday. That’s what the whole season was about – we have a lot of gratitude for each other and each person’s role. That’s what makes us so good.”
“It was a special weekend. All the work we put in, winning it had been in our minds. The coaches are amazing, Jenny does such a good job setting us up not just for 5 years on the field, but for life. I am a better human being for that and I am so grateful for her as a role model.”
Growney admitted she does not have a job yet – and that she’s not concerned at this moment. She double majored in sports and recreation and communications and is taking a little time off to enjoy being a champion. She plans to pursue a job in New York City, but she’s taking her time.
“I realized I wanted to take some down time and not have any obligations, to be free and let my body rest,” she said. “I had 5 years of endless and rigorous lacrosse.
“I will be around the Philly area this summer and I will try to coach if I have some opportunities. I also want to support my teammates playing for Team USA (in the world championships later this month in Towson, MD).”
“You know I couldn’t sleep after that semifinal game. There was too much emotion. And the next night I couldn’t sleep because there was too much adrenaline.”
Now is time for rest. Growney has earned it.
