Improbably, Carolina lacrosse is finally back.

The UNC men’s lacrosse team, which 25 years ago was a regular in the Final Four and won four national championships, broke a frustrating drought by upsetting Notre Dame for the second time this season and made it back to the Final Four for the first time in 23 years.

And it was a most improbable return after what coach Joe Breschi called being stuck in the quarterfinals four times in the last seven years while other ACC schools gained the dominance the Tar Heels once held. The amazing run to the national semifinals this weekend in Philadelphia began with the seven unanswered goals against Notre Dame in Chapel Hill on Senior Day, when the Heels rallied to stun the Irish 17-15 in Kenan Stadium and clinched a bid to the NCAA tourney.

The Irish stood between them and the elusive Final Four Sunday in the massive Ohio State football stadium, where Breschi had coached the Buckeyes for 11 seasons after playing for Carolina during the glory years under coach Willie Scroggs. This time, the stickmen jumped on Notre Dame from the outset, playing the first three quarters like the played the last period in Kenan four weekends ago.

Eight straight goals this time, by five different Tar Heels, gave Carolina such a commanding lead that even when the Irish closed with five unanswered goals they still were on the short end of a 13-9 score. Four goals by Steve Pontrello and a record-breaking day in goal by Brian Balkam with 14 saves proved the unranked team in blue was clearly better than the No. 3 team in gold.

This was not the same team that opened the season 3-3 with losses to Hofstra and Massachusetts. But while the casual Carolina sports fans gave up on the 2016 edition, the diehards stuck in there and witnessed an amazing turnaround over the last month. It began with the epic win over Notre Dame, continued into the NCAA Tournament on a day the Heels won and Duke lost and wound up with the long-sought trip to the last weekend of the season.

Finally, the Final Four.

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