In the second-most high-profile matchup of the night between Carolina and Virginia, the No. 7 UNC men’s lacrosse team didn’t have the same luck as its men’s basketball counterparts at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels held a lead over the No. 2 Cavaliers at halftime, but couldn’t find any offense in the second half and fell, 15-11, to the defending national champions.

The game was truly a tale of two halves. The two top-10 foes went back and forth in the first, with the Tar Heels and Cavaliers exchanging 5-0 runs across the late first and early second quarters. Virginia led 7-5 before Carolina rattled off a 5-2 run to end the half, capped off by a goal from senior attackman Jacob Kelly on a man-advantage play with 33 seconds left. The Tar Heels held a slim 10-9 advantage as the teams went to the locker rooms.

But Virginia took control after the break, outscoring Carolina 5-0 in the third quarter. By the time the Tar Heels finally broke the second-half seal in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late.

“I give Virginia a lot of credit,” said head coach Joe Breschi. “Their defense put the clamp down, and we couldn’t get good shots. We had some ill-advised turnovers as well. We had 22 turnovers which are a season-high, and 12 in the second half, so that will hurt you across the board. So, I credit them and their defense for holding us to one goal in the second half.”

Star attackman Chris Gray led UNC with four points, but only scored a season-low one goal in the game. Kelly, Nicky Solomon and Cole Herbert each had two goals.

Carolina fell to 5-2 on the season with the loss, and 0-1 in ACC play. For their next game, the Tar Heels will take their first road trip of the season to High Point on March 20. UNC will see Virginia again in Charlottesville on April 9.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

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