Thanks to an overtime goal by graduate student Connor McCarthy on Sunday in Hempstead, New York, the top-ranked UNC men’s lacrosse team escaped with a 12-11 win over Rutgers in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

McCarthy–in his first year as a Tar Heel after transferring from Princeton–scored just over two minutes into the four-minute extra period to deliver UNC (13-2) its first Final Four appearance since winning it all back in 2016.

It was an intense back-and-forth affair which saw the teams end the first quarter tied 1-1, the second quarter tied 3-3, the third quarter tied 7-7 and the fourth quarter tied 11-11.

Rutgers (9-4) built a 10-8 advantage with just over eight minutes remaining, but UNC answered with back-to-back goals by sophomore Lance Tillman–who ended the day with a career-high four goals.

The Scarlet Knights went back ahead with four minutes left on a goal by Adam Charalambides, which was answered five seconds later on the other end by UNC’s Zac Tucci. That goal by Tucci ultimately forced overtime.

Offensively, UNC was led by Tillman’s four goals and three scores from Justin Anderson. McCarthy added two goals on the day, while ACC Offensive Player of the Year Chris Gray was limited to just three assists.

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will face ACC rival Virginia in the Final Four next Saturday, in East Hartford, Connecticut.

 

 

 

Photo via Hofstra Athletics

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Related Stories
‹
No. 4 Seed Virginia Hangs On to Top No. 1 UNC in NCAA Men's Lacrosse Semifinals
Much like the top-ranked women’s team on Friday, the No. 1 UNC men put together an incredible second-half comeback on Saturday in Hartford before ultimately falling short in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals. The Tar Heels fell to No. 4 Virginia by a score of 12-11 after a pair of shot attempts in the final minute […]
The Chris Gray Effect: How the Humble Superstar Has UNC On the Verge of a Lacrosse Title
Update: This piece has been updated with the proper date of UNC’s National Semifinal against Virginia, which is Saturday, May 29. After missing the NCAA Tournament in both 2018 and 2019, the UNC men’s lacrosse program received a huge boost with the addition of Boston University’s All-American Chris Gray. Since then, the Tar Heels […]
No. 1 UNC Men's Lacrosse Dominates Monmouth in NCAA Tournament First Round
The top-seeded UNC men’s lacrosse team steamrolled through its NCAA Tournament first round matchup on Saturday afternoon at Dorrance Field, defeating Monmouth by a score of 16-4. ACC Offensive Player of the Year Chris Gray led the Tar Heels (12-2) with four goals and two assists, while breaking the UNC record for points in a […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Earns Top Overall Seed for NCAA Tournament
After being named ACC champions for the first time since 2017, the UNC men’s lacrosse team was awarded the No. 1 overall seed on Sunday for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels will host Monmouth in the first round on Saturday in what will also be their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017 as […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to Richmond in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
Richmond 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 Tournament
It’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 Semifinals
UNC 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 Year
UNC 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 Title
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. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/FcCrtY2rqV — UNC Men's […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to No. 9 Notre Dame
No. 9 Notre Dame closed Saturday’s game against No. 5 UNC with seven unanswered goals, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 12-6 win for the Fighting Irish at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels started hot on the day, leading 4-0 after the first quarter and 4-1 at halftime. The Irish came on strong in the […]
›