In what could be his final collegiate game, UNC star attackman Chris Gray etched his name in NCAA lore, breaking the all-time points record by tallying six against Duke on Sunday. He now has 401 career points, surpassing the previous mark held by Albany’s Lyle Thompson.

Still, Gray’s efforts weren’t enough, as Carolina fell to the Blue Devils 19-11 in the regular-season finale.

The Tar Heels led 7-5 late in the second quarter, but proceeded to give up a backbreaking 9-0 run from the Blue Devils, one which extended into the final seconds of the third quarter. The game was essentially over when Gray scored the record-breaking goal, which came with 7:23 left in the game and made the score 17-9 in favor of Duke.

The Blue Devils outscored UNC 8-0 in the third quarter and 13-4 in the second half. Gray led Carolina in goals and assists with three each for his six points, but no other Tar Heel scored more than three points. The loss dropped UNC’s overall record to 8-6, and its ACC record to 1-5 on the season. With no ACC Tournament in men’s lacrosse, Carolina is likely on the outside looking in for this month’s NCAA Tournament.

“It means everything to me that I was able to play at UNC,” Gray said after the game. “The hardest part will be taking the jersey off and never putting it back on. I am so fortunate to have ended up in a great place like Chapel Hill… it’s truly been the greatest three years of my life.”

“Gray is an amazing young man and a phenomenal person,” said head coach Joe Breschi. “He has done everything we have asked him to do and more. My heart goes out to the seniors who did everything they could to put us in a position to keep playing potentially. It’s hard to put this season into words at the moment. This year, we had our ups and downs, but our guys fought like hell, and that’s all I can ask from them.”

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Lacrosse: Men Ranked No. 5, Women Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll
The USA Lacrosse Preseason Polls have been released, and voters are high on the UNC men and women as the 2026 season approaches. The men’s team is ranked No. 5, while the women’s team is ranked No. 1 following its national championship 2025 season. The UNC men’s team reached the NCAA Tournament in 2025, breaking […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Announces 2026 Regular-Season Schedule
The UNC men’s lacrosse program announced its schedule for the 2026 regular season Friday morning. Ringing in the New Year with the 2026 schedule 😤 pic.twitter.com/aRqKZ8DSlP — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) January 2, 2026 UNC begins on the road with a visit to Towson on Sunday, Feb. 1 before returning to Chapel Hill for a […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to Richmond in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
Richmond outscored UNC 11-5 in the second half of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Dorrance Field, leading the Spiders to a 13-10 upset win over the No. 8 overall seed Tar Heels. UNC’s season is over. Carolina led for the entire first half, jumping out to a 4-0 lead early in the second quarter […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament
It’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
Duke Throttles UNC Men's Lacrosse in ACC Tournament Semifinals
UNC fell into a huge hole early against No. 3 seed Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday night and never recovered, falling to the Blue Devils 14-7 in Charlotte. Duke went ahead within the opening minute and increased that lead to 2-0 less than a minute after that, setting the stage for what would […]
3 UNC Men's Lacrosse Players Earn All-ACC Honors; Joe Breschi Named ACC Coach of the Year
UNC men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi was named the ACC Coach of the Year Tuesday afternoon, and three of his players earned All-ACC nods as well. All-ACC Honors 😤 pic.twitter.com/bmuz2Kl9GR — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 29, 2025 This is the fourth ACC Coach of the Year win for Breschi, who also took home […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Wins at No. 10 Syracuse, Clinches Share of ACC Regular-Season Title
UNC held off a furious rally from No. 10 Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday afternoon and beat the Orange 14-12 in the regular-season finale. Carolina’s win clinches a share of the ACC regular-season title, which is the program’s first since 2021 and 14th overall. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/FcCrtY2rqV — UNC Men's […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to No. 9 Notre Dame
No. 9 Notre Dame closed Saturday’s game against No. 5 UNC with seven unanswered goals, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 12-6 win for the Fighting Irish at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels started hot on the day, leading 4-0 after the first quarter and 4-1 at halftime. The Irish came on strong in the […]
6 UNC Lacrosse Players Named Tewaaraton Award Nominees
Six UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse players have been named as nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the national player of the year. On the men’s side, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala both earned nods, while Sam Forrest, Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Chloe Humphrey and Ashley Humphrey are nominated on the women’s side. 🗣️ Tewaaraton […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Win at No. 12 Duke, Women Roll Past Cal
Both UNC lacrosse teams stayed hot during the weekend, with the No. 7 men earning a hard-fought 8-7 win at No. 12 Duke Saturday (their first in Durham since 2016) and the top-ranked women cruising past Cal 21-7 Sunday. In the men’s game, early goals from Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala staked UNC to […]
›