Both UNC lacrosse teams were in action during the weekend, as the no. 16 men’s team opened its 2025 season with a convincing 15-6 home win against No. 15 Michigan on Saturday and the No. 4 women’s team moved to 2-0 on the season with a 23-1 blowout road win at Liberty on Sunday.

On the men’s side, the Tar Heels seized control early with two goals in the span of 30 seconds to take a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. That lead grew to 5-1 late in the quarter and sat at 9-4 at halftime after UNC’s Andrew Preis found the back of the net with seven seconds left in the first half.

Carolina’s defense denied the Wolverines any chance to rally, as Michigan scored only twice in the second half. The Tar Heels continued to add on to their lead, as stars Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietralama each scored their fourth goals of the game. Though shots on goal were relatively even (22-18 in Carolina’s favor), UNC goalie Michael Gianforcaro made 12 saves in his first game as a Tar Heel to keep the visitors at bay.

The victory marks the 27th straight year Carolina has begun the season 1-0. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host Stony Brook at Dorrance Field on Friday at 6 p.m.

On the women’s side, Carolina netted 11 goals in the first quarter alone to quickly put Sunday’s contest with the Flames out of reach. Redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey, playing just her second college game, scored five of those goals herself in a span of less than 10 minutes. Her sister Nicole, one of three Humphreys on the Tar Heel roster, scored her first goal of the season in the third quarter. Liberty’s only goal came in the fourth quarter, when UNC already led 21-0.

Carolina outshot the Flames 38-7 overall and allowed just four shots on goal, while UNC had 30. It’s the first time the Tar Heels have allowed just one goal in a game since the 2021 season, and the team was one goal away from matching a program record of 24 goals in a single game. Overall, UNC is 5-0 against Liberty and has outscored the Flames 102-20 in those five meetings.

The Tar Heels will be back in action Saturday when they face Florida on the road at 12 p.m. The Gators beat Carolina in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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