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

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 Soccer and Lacrosse Venue Christened Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium
Dorrance Field, the home venue for the UNC soccer and lacrosse programs, has expanded its name to Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium. The expanded name comes in recognition of a gift from Kathleen Welsh and Gary Loveman, parents of two former UNC women’s soccer players. UNC describes Play2Dream as “a private family foundation” founded […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse's Season Ends vs. Syracuse in NCAA Quarterfinals
Despite leading 6-2 in the second quarter, UNC fell to No. 6 overall seed Syracuse 13-11 in the NCAA quarterfinals Saturday in Hempstead, N.Y. The Tar Heels’ season is over. Carolina, the No. 3 overall seed in the field, had taken its early lead thanks to three goals in rapid succession from Brady Wambach, Anthony […]
Photo Gallery: UNC Men's, Women's Lacrosse Win NCAA Tournament Openers in Chapel Hill
Both the UNC men's and women's lacrosse teams hosted NCAA Tournament action at Dorrance Field during the weekend.
Pietramala's Record-Breaking Day Helps UNC Men's Lacrosse Beat Albany in NCAA Tournament
UNC junior attackman Dominic Pietramala rewrote several record books in a 24-6 Tar Heel win against Albany in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday in Chapel Hill. The win was the Tar Heels’ first in the NCAA Tournament since 2021. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/2tGpLXLAB1 — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) May 9, […]
4 UNC Lacrosse Players Named First Team All-Americans, Several Others Honored
A combined four players between the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams were named as first team All-Americans by USA Lacrosse this week. Brady Wambach earned first team honors on the men’s team, while Chloe Humphrey, Sam Forrest and Eliza Osburn each earned nods on the women’s team. Wambach, a junior faceoff specialist, has already […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse No. 2 Overall Seed, Men No. 3 in NCAA Tournament
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both national seeds in their respective NCAA Tournament fields, which were announced Sunday night. The women’s team is the No. 2 overall seed in the bracket, while the men are No. 3 overall. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels earned the No. 2 overall seed despite […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls to Virginia in ACC Championship Game
Virginia scored 11 unanswered goals to end the first half to blow open the ACC Championship game early and beat UNC 16-6 in Charlotte Sunday. Carolina is still searching for its first conference tournament title since 2017. The Tar Heels had opened on the front foot, scoring two goals in the first five minutes to […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 16 Duke in Regular Season Finale
No. 16 Duke raced out to an early lead and never looked back in a 16-12 win against UNC Saturday at Dorrance Field in the regular season finale for both sides. The Tar Heels found themselves down 2-0 inside of two minutes played, then trailing 4-0 before finally finding the back of the net late […]
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 […]
›