Arguably the most storied rivalry in college athletics added a new chapter in the men’s lacrosse section on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, as the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils eked out an 11-10 victory over UNC.
It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Tar Heels (6-5, 0-1 ACC) following a 6-0 start to the season, while the Blue Devils improved to 9-2 (1-1 ACC) thanks to four goals apiece from Brad Smith and Justin Guterding.
Chris Cloutier and Timmy Kelly each scored three goals for UNC, but those wouldn’t be enough to keep Duke from coming up big in the clutch moments. The Blue Devils scored four goals in a span of less than six minutes midway through the second half to turn what had been a 9-7 UNC lead into an 11-9 lead of their own.
The Duke defense then held tight for much of the fourth quarter, only surrendering a single goal to Andy Matthews with 4:36 left on the clock.
UNC was unable to find a game-tying goal after that, which sealed up the win for its hated rivals.
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will try again to get back in the win column next Saturday, April 7 when they face off against Virginia at Kenan Stadium.
Photo via Jeffrey A. Camarati (UNC Athletics)
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