The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up Top 5 wins on Saturday, with the women dominating No. 4 Syracuse in Chapel Hill 16-8 and the men holding off No. 3 Johns Hopkins on the road by a score of 13-12.

Against the Orange at Dorrance Field, the Tar Heels used a dominant first quarter to quickly distance themselves from the visitors. After Syracuse scored to cut an early UNC lead to 3-2, the Tar Heels scored five unanswered goals to end the quarter and two more to begin the second, ballooning the advantage to 10-2 in just 10:30 of game time. Syracuse wouldn’t get any closer for the remainder of the afternoon.

Junior Kiley Mottice and freshman Eliza Osburn each recorded hat tricks for Carolina. Osburn had only scored once in UNC’s first three games of the season. Sisters Chloe and Ashley Humphrey added two goals apiece, with Chloe Humphrey accounting for 12 of UNC’s 51 total shots. Overall, the Tar Heels outshot the Orange 51-27 overall and 32-17 in shots on goal. Carolina goalie Betty Nelson tied her season high with eight saves to keep the Orange at arm’s length.

The win improves UNC to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in ACC play on the season and is Carolina’s third ranked win already. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they visit Louisville on Friday at noon.

In Baltimore, the men’s team also got out to a quick start against the Blue Jays. Owen Duffy, Dominic Pietramala and Leif Hagerup each scored inside the game’s first minute, giving the Tar Heels a lightning-quick 3-0 lead. Duffy and Pietramala would each register hat tricks before the first half was over, but Johns Hopkins closed strong to cut UNC’s lead to 8-7 at halftime and tied the game at 10-10 entering the fourth quarter.

The Blue Jays took their first lead early in the final period, but UNC responded with three unanswered scores, including Pietramala’s sixth of the game which gave the Tar Heels the lead back at 12-11. Caden Harshbarger added critical insurance less than a minute later. Johns Hopkins cut the lead to 13-12 with 2:08 to go but could not find the equalizer. UNC goalie Michael Gianforcaro made a critical save with 1:15 to go to preserve the slim lead.

Pietramala and Duffy combined for 10 of UNC’s 13 goals, with Pietramala finding the back of the net a career-high six times. He now has 15 goals in three games.

The win improves Carolina to 3-0 on the young season and is the Tar Heels’ second already against a ranked opponent. UNC will host No. 17 Penn at Dorrance Field on Friday night at 5 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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 newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Stanford to Win 2nd Consecutive ACC Championship
UNC used a strong run in the first quarter to seize momentum against Stanford Sunday in Charlotte and held firm to win 12-8, clinching the Tar Heels’ second consecutive ACC Tournament title and ninth in program history. Stackin’ Trophies 🏆 For the ninth time, the Tar Heels are ACC Champions!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/uoKw6zUvZx — UNC […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Cruises Past Syracuse into ACC Championship Game
UNC scored six unanswered goals in the first quarter on its way to a 19-9 win against No. 4 seed Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Friday evening. The Tar Heels are now through to the conference championship game Sunday. Finals Bound 🚀 The Heels will face the winner if Stanford and Clemson […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 1 UNC beat rival Duke for the second time in less than a week Wednesday at the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte, dispatching the Blue Devils 15-11 to advance to Friday’s semifinal round. Movin’ On ⏩ The Heels take care of the Devils for the second time in a week to advance to the […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Overcomes Early Deficit, Beats No. 19 Duke in Regular Season Finale
No. 1 UNC trailed 5-2 in the waning seconds of the first half but still beat No. 19 Duke going away Thursday night in Durham, winning 11-5 in the final game of the regular season. Carolina is inevitable 🐏 The Heels run off 8 straight goals and hold Duke scoreless in the second half to […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats No. 7 Stanford, Clinches ACC Regular-Season Title
Chloe Humphrey tied a career high with eight goals as No. 2 UNC beat No. 7 Stanford 18-9 at Dorrance Field Friday night to clinch the outright ACC regular season title for the second consecutive year. That’s a dub + a trophy 🏆 The Heels are your ACC Regular Season Champions!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ffY2oveVdl — […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Crushes No. 25 Virginia to Stay Unbeaten in ACC
UNC used a lopsided first half and seven goals from a red-hot Chloe Humphrey to roll past No. 25 Virginia 19-4 in Charlottesville Friday afternoon. Road Dub 👐 The Heels stay perfect in ACC play with a dominant win at UVA!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/5h0LTwIy7v — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) April 3, 2026 Humphrey’s productive day […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Thumps East Carolina in Chapel Hill
No. 1 UNC rebounded from its first loss since 2024 with a dominating win against East Carolina in Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels scored the game’s first 10 goals on their way to a 23-3 win. Senior Day Dubs 👐#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/rCz4I9pxzm — UNC Women's Lacrosse (@uncwlax) March 28, 2026 UNC’s fast […]
31-Game Winning Streak Snapped as UNC Women's Lacrosse Falls to No. 12 Northwestern
No. 1 UNC saw its 31-game winning streak, which stretched back to the beginning of the 2025 season, snapped in a 17-16 overtime loss to No. 12 Northwestern at Dorrance Field Wednesday night. It was UNC’s first home loss in exactly two years — a result which also came at the hands of Northwestern. The […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Dominate Boston College, Men Outlast Army
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up wins against ranked foes at Dorrance Field Saturday afternoon. The top-ranked women’s team soundly beat Boston College, while the fifth-ranked men held on to beat Army. Both the Eagles and Black Knights are ranked No. 16 in the national polls. The women led off the […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Dominates Cal to Stay Unbeaten
No. 1 Carolina scored 11 unanswered goals to open the game and pull away from Cal early in Berkeley Thursday, and the Tar Heels rode that wave to a 20-3 win. It’s UNC’s 30th consecutive win going back to the 2025 season, which is a new program record. West Coast Dubs 🐏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/9BWAHiqrPV […]
›