Carolina ended a bumpy regular season in the best possible fashion on Saturday, upsetting No. 2 Duke 15-12 at Dorrance Field. It’s Carolina’s first ACC win at home since April of 2022.

Dominic Pietramala led all scorers with four goals, and Logan McGovern added three and four assists for a game-high seven points. Both men were cooking in a high-scoring first quarter, scoring twice apiece to help the Tar Heels lead 5-4 after 15 minutes. Pietramala earned his hat trick with 4:59 left in the second quarter to increase the lead to 6-4, but Carolina wasn’t done yet. The Tar Heels scored three goals in the final 20 seconds of the second quarter, including a strike from Danny Striano with just one second left on the clock. UNC led 9-4 at halftime.

That lead increased to as large as 15-6 after Carolina controlled the third quarter and the early part of the fourth. Pietramala found the back of the net for the fourth time midway through the third, and it was all part of a 10-2 extended run stretching back to the beginning of the second.

Duke wouldn’t go quietly, scoring the final six goals of the game, but ultimately ran out of time. It’s Carolina’s first win against Duke since May 2, 2021, which was also the last time the Tar Heels beat a team ranked No. 3 or higher. UNC still leads the all-time series between the two rivals, 44-37.

At 7-7 overall and 1-3 in ACC play, Carolina will not qualify for the conference tournament. The Tar Heels’ season is over.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Clarabella R. Couch

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