The UNC men’s lacrosse team fell to a ranked opponent for the second consecutive game Saturday, losing to No. 7 Virginia 11-4 in Charlottesville. It’s the second time this season the Cavaliers, the defending national champions, have beaten Carolina. Virginia took a 15-11 win in Chapel Hill in early March.

The Tar Heels began the game on a positive note, leading 2-1 after the first quarter on two goals from attackman Chris Gray. Sophomore midfielder Cole Herbert gave Carolina a 3-2 lead early in the second quarter, but it would be the last for the Tar Heels on the day.

Virginia dominated the rest of the way, using a 4-0 run in the second quarter to take a 6-3 lead into halftime, then outscoring Carolina in 5-1 in the second half. From the time UNC held a 3-2 lead, the Cavaliers outscored the Tar Heels 9-1 over approximately 38 minutes of game time.

Gray scored Carolina’s only goal of the second half, giving him a hat trick and extending his points streak to 51 consecutive games. Gray is also now all alone in second place all-time in NCAA Division I history for career points, and just 15 away from breaking the record. Outside of Gray, though, the Tar Heels as a team combined for just one score on 12 shots on goal. For the game, Virginia outshot Carolina 43-31, and held a 22-17 advantage in shots on goal.

The loss drops UNC to 0-3 in ACC play and 7-4 overall. Needing wins down the stretch to put themselves in position for a postseason berth, the Tar Heels will return home to Dorrance Field to host Syracuse on Saturday at 4 p.m. Carolina will celebrate Senior Day before the game, which will be broadcast on ESPNU. Two straight road games at No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 10 Duke will close out the regular season.

 

Featured image via Virginia Athletics/Matt Riley

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