— The season ended for Virginia's women's lacrosse team. Who knows if the grief ever will?

One day before slain teammate Yeardley Love was supposed to graduate, the Cavaliers lost to North Carolina, 17-7, on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I tournament. Virginia (14-6) was playing its first road game since Love's death three weeks ago.

"I don't think that there's any way that you can really move on from" Love's death, senior midfielder Brittany Kalkstein said. "Obviously, it's going to be in our thoughts forever."

Virginia's players again wore T-shirts that said "One Team. One Heart. One Love." Their orange jerseys bore black patches on their chests with "LOVE" in white.

Some North Carolina students wore Carolina-blue T-shirts bearing Love's name and jersey No. 1. A moment of silence was held before the game to remember the popular senior whose death jolted the Virginia community. A player on the school's men's lacrosse team is charged with first-degree murder in the case.

The best therapy, coach Julie Myers always said, was to keep playing. She felt lacrosse kept the team together and gave the players something to focus on besides their late teammate. Now, after their most lopsided loss of the year, they head into the uncertainty of the offseason.

"Every day that we've been together has been a positive day," Myers said. "I think it's taken a lot of energy for us to just go through the steps of a normal day, but I think our team has gotten stronger. I think we have gotten more connected. At the end of the game, one of our fifth-year seniors said, 'There's not a question in anyone's mind that we all love each other, and to know that is a pretty special and amazing feeling.'

"So I think we've established the unconditional love for one another, and we have gotten a little bit stronger," Myers said.

North Carolina (17-2) advanced to next week's semifinals in Towson — its second straight berth in lacrosse's final four. After the postgame hugs and handshakes, the Tar Heels stepped back and yielded center stage to the Cavaliers — politely applauding from their sideline while Virginia's players jogged across the field to acknowledge their fans.

"There were so many elements that, as a coach, you had to think about and prepare for with our team, and try to separate what's going on at Virginia and the game of lacrosse itself," North Carolina coach Jenny Levy said.

Kristen Taylor scored three goals in the decisive first half to lead the Tar Heels, who scored on 11 of their 15 shots in the opening 30 minutes, capped by Taylor's buzzer-beater in the final second to make it 11-2.

"I think it was hard for them to come down our throats," Myers said. "I think, emotionally, it was hard for them to play a hand in the ending of our season."

North Carolina gained a measure of revenge for a 13-12 overtime loss two months ago to Virginia. Of course, that was well before Love's death changed the Cavaliers' world forever.

With the support of her family, Virginia accepted a berth in the NCAA tournament and in the first round rallied to beat Towson, 14-12.

"We've always had Yeardley in our hearts, and she wouldn't have wanted us to sit around and be sad," leading scorer Kaitlin Duff said.

Then came its first game outside Charlottesville — and this trip was anything but typical.

There were reminders of Love at almost every turn at Fetzer Field, with nearly everyone from the ticket-takers and security guards at the gates to the Tar Heels themselves wearing orange wristbands in tribute.

Before the game, Levy — a former Virginia player and teammate of Myers' — acknowledged the challenge of being the other team in the Cavaliers' emotion-filled run. She said the best way to honor Love and show respect for Virginia was for both teams to play their best lacrosse.

And her team did, with Laura Zimmerman scoring four goals and Corey Donohoe adding three to help the Tar Heels pull away early. North Carolina never trailed, scored its first eight goals in a 17 1/2-minute span and added two more in the final eight seconds of the half.

Virginia got three goals from Duff and two from Charlie Finnegan. The Cavaliers had made their deepest tournament run since reaching the 2007 national championship game, but a wrenching season was now over.

"We'd be crazy to think that it didn't have a toll, but I would also say, if we had won, we'd say, 'Look at where this emotion had gotten us,'" Myers said. "We just didn't play great again. … Clearly, what we've been through, I wouldn't say has helped us, but I wouldn't blame it on that, either."

Northwestern 18, Duke 8: Katrina Dowd had three goals to break the NCAA tournament scoring record, and the five-time defending national champion host Wildcats (19-1) rolled past the Blue Devils (14-6).

Dowd has 42 goals in tournament play, eclipsing the mark of 40 set by former Wildcat Hilary Bowen.

Second seed Northwestern (19-1) will meet North Carolina in Towson on Friday. The Tar Heels defeated Northwestern, 18-16, on April 18, handing the Wildcats their only loss this season and in their last 49 games overall.

Danielle Spencer and Erin Fitzgerald each had four goals for Northwestern, which raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first half.

Kat Thomas, Christie Kaestner and Lindsay Gilbride had two goals apiece for Duke.

Northwestern faces North Carolina in Friday's Final Four at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium. In the other semifinal, Syracuse plays Maryland, a 15-10 winner over Penn.

Syracuse 7, James Madison 3: Halley Quillinan scored three goals and goalie Liz Hogan had 12 saves to lead the visiting Orange (15-6) past the Dukes (17-3).

Lightning delayed the game for 30 minutes after the first period. The Orange (15-6) trailed 3-2 at halftime.

Michelle Tumolo added two goals for Syracuse, which had a 14-6 advantage in shots in the second half.

Ariel Lane led JMU with two goals.

Salisbury 20, Gettysburg 12: The Sea Gulls (20-1) will vie for their first national championship today after soundly defeating the host Bullets (18-4) in an NCAA Division III tournament semifinal.

Salisbury faces Hamilton (21-0) at noon today in Gettysburg, Pa.

The last time the Sea Gulls played the Continentals on March 18, 2009, Salisbury won 12-9, in a regular-season game in San Antonio, Texas.

Allie Wheatley and Aileen McCausland (Hereford) each scored five goals as the Sea Gulls went on scoring runs of 3-0 or longer five times during the contest.

Hamilton 12, Franklin & Marshall 7: Anne Graveley had two goals and two assists and the Continentals (21-0) remain the only undefeated lacrosse team across three divisions and both genders.

After trading goals in the first five minutes, Hamilton went on a 5-0 run and never looked back.

The Diplomats finished 16-4.

Men

 C.W. Post 9, Dowling 8: Trailing 8-6 headed into the fourth quarter, the Pioneers (15-1) went on a 3-0 run as Eddie Plompen scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the final 5:40 of play of an NCAA Division II semifinal.

Plompen finished with four goals, and C.W. Post faces LeMoyne next Sunday at 3 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. The Golden Lions finished 12-2.

Le Moyne 11, Limestone 7: Vinnie Alexander and Jack Harmatuk each had hat tricks to power the host Dolphins (15-1) past the Saints (12-2) in NCAA Division II semifinal.

Le Moyne outscored Limestone, 7-3, over the second and third quarters.