A sluggish first half proved to be the death blow for the 13th-ranked UNC men’s lacrosse team Wednesday evening, as the Tar Heels couldn’t quite come back from a five-goal deficit in their 11-10 loss to the Richmond Spiders.

It marks the third straight loss for head coach Joe Breschi’s team, which began the year with six consecutive victories.

The Tar Heels (6-3) trailed 8-3 early in the third quarter, but staged an impressive comeback attempt that saw them tie the game at 10-10 with just under 11 minutes remaining.

Ryan Lee then scored what ultimately turned into the game-winner for Richmond (4-3) just over two minutes later.

UNC received a career-high five goals from Matt Cunningham in the game, while Justin Anderson added three goals and two assists. Andy Matthews and Chris Cloutier were responsible for the other two Tar Heel goals–with Cloutier’s tally extending his streak with at least one goal to 29 games, tied for the longest such streak in school history.

Although the Tar Heels recorded a 39-31 edge in shots, Richmond’s fast start simply proved too much to overcome as the game wore on.

Despite getting plenty of opportunities to find the game-tying goal in the final minutes, UNC turned the ball over on each of its final two possessions–sealing the upset for Richmond.

Up Next:

A 10-day break awaits the Tar Heels now, as they’ll have plenty of time to prepare for defending national champion Maryland–a game set to be played in Costa Mesa, California on Saturday, March 24.

 

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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