UNC fought back from multiple deficits Friday night against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte and finished strong to defeat the Orange 12-10.

A low-scoring first quarter ended with the two teams tied 1-1, but Syracuse opened up a lead with four unanswered goals in the second to take a 5-2 advantage late in the period. Three of the Orange’s goals came in a span of 1:51.

Brady Wambach scored two UNC goals in just 13 seconds to help the Tar Heels respond, and the game went to halftime with Syracuse leading 6-4. The Tar Heels took their first lead since the score was 1-0 early in the third quarter, as Caden Harshbarger, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala all scored in the period’s first five minutes. But the Orange responded in kind, netting three unanswered goals of their own to lead 9-7 with 13:55 remaining in the game.

Carolina finally shifted momentum for good after Brevin Wilson answered Syracuse’s goal with one of his own 52 seconds later. Anthony Raio tied the game at 9-9 just 36 seconds after Wilson scored, and it was game on in Charlotte. Luke Bair and Mason Szewczyk would each score in the game’s home stretch, and Wilson put the capper on the comeback with 1:46 to go, giving UNC some cushion after Syracuse had scored to cut the deficit to 11-10.

The Tar Heels outshot the Orange 22-16 in the second half after allowing 19 Syracuse shots in the second quarter alone. In the net, UNC goalie Josh Marcus made four critical saves to aid his team’s comeback attempt, including two in less than two minutes with the Tar Heels leading 10-9. Duffy finished his night with a career-high six assists, while Wilson recorded a hat trick.

Friday’s win was the second of the season for UNC against Syracuse, after Carolina defeated the Orange in Chapel Hill last month. The Tar Heels are now 12-3 on the season, and their 12 wins are their most in a single campaign since 2021, when the team reached the NCAA Final Four.

UNC is now into the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2017. The Tar Heels will face Virginia Sunday at 12 p.m. in Charlotte after the Cavaliers defeated top-seeded Notre Dame 15-10 earlier Friday. Carolina defeated Virginia in Charlottesville on April 18.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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