Both UNC lacrosse teams stayed hot during the weekend, with the No. 7 men earning a hard-fought 8-7 win at No. 12 Duke Saturday (their first in Durham since 2016) and the top-ranked women cruising past Cal 21-7 Sunday.

In the men’s game, early goals from Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala staked UNC to a 3-2 lead midway through the second quarter, but Duke close out the quarter with three goals in a span of 4:09 to seize momentum and take a two-goal lead into the locker rooms. The Blue Devils outshot the Tar Heels 21-16 in the first half.

Carolina’s third quarter rally got started in a hurry, as Ty English scored just 42 seconds into the period to cut the deficit to 5-4. Mason Szewczyk and Parker Hoffman followed close behind, scoring a pair of goals in a 10-second span to slingshot the Tar Heels in front, 6-5. Just 3:03 had elapsed on the third-quarter clock.

Duke tied the game at 6-6, but Pietramala struck again late in the quarter and Szewczyk scored early in the fourth to give UNC its largest lead of the afternoon at 8-6. The Blue Devils quickly cut that lead to 8-7 and peppered the UNC goal for the final 10:59, but Tar Heel goalie Michael Gianforcaro made four saves in the final minutes to preserve the slim advantage. Gianforcaro ended the day with 12 saves, one off tying his season high.

The 8-7 win is UNC’s second straight against Duke. It improves the Tar Heels to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in ACC play. It’s the first time since 2016 that Carolina has won its opening two conference games. UNC will be back in action when it celebrates Senior Day against No. 9 Notre Dame at Dorrance Field next Saturday at 12 p.m.

The women’s team celebrated Senior Day as it hosted Cal at Dorrance Field Sunday, but it was UNC’s youth which once again stole the show. Redshirt sophomore Marissa White and redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey combined for nine goals on the day, with Humphrey scoring all four of hers in the first half.

Powered by that early offense, the Tar Heels lead 6-0 inside the game’s opening six minutes, 10-3 by the end of the first quarter and 17-4 at halftime.

Olivia Vergano and Ashley Humphrey made good on their final regular-season home games, with Vergano posting a hat trick and Humphrey tallying a team-high five assists (no other teammate had more than two).

Sunday’s game is the sixth this season and second in a row in which the Tar Heels have scored at least 20 goals. They did so just once during the entire 2024 season. It also ensures UNC will end the regular season unbeaten at home for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

The Tar Heels are now 14-0 overall and 8-0 in ACC play. They will close out the regular season with a visit to No. 12 Duke in Durham Thursday evening at 6 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

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