A battle of the nation’s top two men’s lacrosse teams needed overtime to decide a winner on Thursday night in Durham, as Joe Robertson’s overtime goal lifted No. 2 Duke to a 12-11 victory over No. 1 UNC.
It was the first loss of the season for the Tar Heels (8-1, 1-1 ACC), who had won their last 15 games overall in a streak dating back to 2020.
Duke improved to 10-0 overall this year and 2-0 inside the ACC thanks to Robertson, who ended the night with a game-high four goals and three assists.
UNC took the lead just two minutes into the game on a goal by Matt Wright and was in control for most of the night. The Tar Heels built an 8-5 advantage early in the third quarter, but Duke rallied to take an 11-10 lead going into the final period.
Justin Anderson’s second goal of the night tied the game at 11 with 2:56 remaining in regulation, setting up the deciding overtime.
Anderson was one of four Tar Heels — along with Chris Gray, Tanner Cook and Nicky Solomon–to score two goals in the game.
Duke ultimately outshot UNC 6-2 in overtime, with Robertson’s goal coming with just 47 seconds left in the extra period.
“It was a great lacrosse game by both teams – it’s a shame somebody has to lose,” UNC head coach Joe Breschi said. “We put ourselves in a position to win the game and I thought we fought really, really hard. I’m tremendously proud of the effort and the energy that we brought to the table. We did so many little things really well to give ourselves a chance.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels host No. 6 Virginia on April 10 in another ACC heavyweight showdown.
Photo via Abe Loven (UNC Athletics)
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