UNC held off a furious rally from No. 10 Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday afternoon and beat the Orange 14-12 in the regular-season finale. Carolina’s win clinches a share of the ACC regular-season title, which is the program’s first since 2021 and 14th overall.
Dominic Pietramala paced the Tar Heels on offense, tying his career high with six goals on the day. Pietramala secured a hat trick in a span of less than five minutes in the second quarter, scoring three goals in rapid succession to help UNC push through an early Syracuse surge which saw the Orange lead 4-2. Pietramala’s third goal gave UNC a 6-4 advantage which would carry into halftime.
Pietramala was back to his old tricks again in the third quarter, scoring two more goals to help UNC extend its lead to 9-5. His sixth and final score, which came at the 4:57 mark of the fourth, made the score 13-8. Brevin Wilson scored less than two minutes later to give the Tar Heels a 14-8 lead with 3:01 to go, seemingly icing the game.
But Carolina had to hold off one final push from the Orange, who scored four goals in less than two minutes to cut the deficit to 14-12 with 37 seconds remaining. Syracuse would win the ensuing face-off, but would not send another shot toward the UNC net before time ran out.
Pietramala finished with six goals, one assist and a whopping 20 total shots, more than a third of his team’s final tally. Owen Duffy was held scoreless, but did lead the Tar Heels with four assists. Goalie Michael Gianforcaro made 10 saves.
With the win, UNC finishes the regular season 10-3 overall and 3-1 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be the No. 2 seed in the four-team ACC Tournament, which will begin Friday, May 2 in Charlotte. UNC will face No. 3 seed Duke in its first game, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 8-7 in the two teams’ regular-season meeting in Durham on April 12.
Featured image via Syracuse Athletic Communications
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
‹
Tar Heels Take Men's Lacrosse Season Opener vs. LafayetteThe ninth-ranked UNC men’s lacrosse team got its regular season off to a fast start Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium, using an offensive explosion to defeat the Lafayette Leopards by a score of 17-10. Timmy Kelly and Tanner Cook led the way the offensive charge with a pair of hat tricks, while ten different players […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Thump Ohio State, Men Beat No. 13 Johns HopkinsThe UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams both picked up decisive home wins Friday at Dorrance Field, with the top-ranked women beating Ohio State 22-9 and the third-ranked men defeating No. 13 Johns Hopkins 17-9. In the first game of the day, the Carolina women raced out to a big early lead with six unanswered […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Squeaks Past Jacksonville in Season OpenerMason Szewczyk scored with 2:26 left to break a 10-10 tie at Dorrance Field and help UNC beat Jacksonville 11-10 in the 2026 season opener Saturday afternoon. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/52DJ3Zcj8d — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) February 7, 2026 Szewczyk’s goal, his second of the game, came after the Dolphins had scored four […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Ranked No. 5, Women Ranked No. 1 in Preseason PollThe USA Lacrosse Preseason Polls have been released, and voters are high on the UNC men and women as the 2026 season approaches. The men’s team is ranked No. 5, while the women’s team is ranked No. 1 following its national championship 2025 season. The UNC men’s team reached the NCAA Tournament in 2025, breaking […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Announces 2026 Regular-Season ScheduleThe UNC men’s lacrosse program announced its schedule for the 2026 regular season Friday morning. Ringing in the New Year with the 2026 schedule 😤 pic.twitter.com/aRqKZ8DSlP — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) January 2, 2026 UNC begins on the road with a visit to Towson on Sunday, Feb. 1 before returning to Chapel Hill for a […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to Richmond in NCAA Tournament 1st RoundRichmond outscored UNC 11-5 in the second half of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Dorrance Field, leading the Spiders to a 13-10 upset win over the No. 8 overall seed Tar Heels. UNC’s season is over. Carolina led for the entire first half, jumping out to a 4-0 lead early in the second quarter […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA TournamentIt’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
Duke Throttles UNC Men's Lacrosse in ACC Tournament SemifinalsUNC fell into a huge hole early against No. 3 seed Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday night and never recovered, falling to the Blue Devils 14-7 in Charlotte. Duke went ahead within the opening minute and increased that lead to 2-0 less than a minute after that, setting the stage for what would […]
3 UNC Men's Lacrosse Players Earn All-ACC Honors; Joe Breschi Named ACC Coach of the YearUNC men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi was named the ACC Coach of the Year Tuesday afternoon, and three of his players earned All-ACC nods as well. All-ACC Honors 😤 pic.twitter.com/bmuz2Kl9GR — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 29, 2025 This is the fourth ACC Coach of the Year win for Breschi, who also took home […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Wins at No. 10 Syracuse, Clinches Share of ACC Regular-Season TitleUNC held off a furious rally from No. 10 Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday afternoon and beat the Orange 14-12 in the regular-season finale. Carolina’s win clinches a share of the ACC regular-season title, which is the program’s first since 2021 and 14th overall. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/FcCrtY2rqV — UNC Men's […]
›
