Despite leading 6-2 in the second quarter, UNC fell to No. 6 overall seed Syracuse 13-11 in the NCAA quarterfinals Saturday in Hempstead, N.Y. The Tar Heels’ season is over.

Carolina, the No. 3 overall seed in the field, had taken its early lead thanks to three goals in rapid succession from Brady Wambach, Anthony Raio and Brevin Wilson in the second quarter. That trio all found the back of the net in a span of 3:46, pushing what had been a one-goal advantage for UNC to four.

That deficit served as a spark for the Orange, which scored two goals in the next 42 seconds to get right back in the game. Syracuse carried that momentum forward into a game-changing 6-0 run, which saw the Orange take an 8-6 lead early in the third quarter. The two teams traded goals until Carolina finally tied the game again at 10-10 thanks to Dominic Pietramala. Syracuse, though, put the hammer down with three unanswered goals in the middle portion of the fourth quarter, taking a 13-10 lead with 2:40 remaining and putting the game out of reach of the Tar Heels. After UNC led 6-2, the Orange outscored Carolina 11-5 for the remainder of the game.

UNC held an overall advantage in total shots and shots on target, but the Orange made 12 saves compared to the Tar Heels’ seven to hold the lead late. Syracuse also held a 14-13 edge on faceoffs.

Carolina ends its season 13-5 overall, having dropped four of its final seven games to end the year after starting 10-1. Two of the Tar Heels’ 13 wins came against Syracuse.

 

Featured image via UNC Men’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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