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 be a tough night for the Tar Heels. The Blue Devils led 4-1 after the first quarter, 7-1 at halftime and by as much as 12-1 early in the second half. Four of UNC’s seven goals came in the final 6:48 of the game, after the outcome had been all but decided. The seven-goal defeat is the team’s largest of the season.

Dominic Pietramala scored twice for UNC. He was the only Tar Heel to find the back of the net multiple times. It was an offensive struggle for much of the night, as Duke outshot the Tar Heels 30-21 through the first three quarters.

The loss drops UNC to 10-4 overall this season. The Tar Heels will now await their NCAA Tournament bid, which will be announced Sunday.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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