The Carolina men’s lacrosse team saw its deepest NCAA tournament run since 2021 come to an end with a 13-11 loss to Syracuse on Saturday.
The third-seeded Tar Heels went up 6-2 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, but the sixth-seeded Orange took control with a 6-0 run that spanned the rest of the second quarter and most of the third. Carolina tied the game at 10-10 with 10:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, only to go silent for the next eight minutes while Syracuse scored three
straight goals.
The Tar Heels outshot the Orange 46-38, including 23-20 in shots on goal, and won the turnover battle 19-15. They lost the ground ball battle 39-30 and the faceoff battle 14-13, marking the first time junior Brady Wambach has won less than 50% of his faceoffs in a game since his freshman season.
Eight different players scored for Carolina, including Tewaaraton Award finalist Owen Duffy, who saw his first action since injuring his hamstring in the ACC title game on May 3. The junior’s usual ability to facilitate the offense was limited; he was still visibly hobbled by the injury.
UNC graduates 14 players from this year’s team, including all-time leading goal scorer Dominic Pietramala. Pietramala, who scored twice in the quarterfinal game, has a year of eligibility remaining, so it’s possible he could return next season.
