UNC men's lacrosse loses to Duke after unlikely road to championship

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — They weren’t even supposed to be in the title game.

No, they were supposed to lose Friday, cut their losses and head back to Chapel Hill.

But the North Carolina men’s lacrosse players didn’t listen to what they were supposed to do.

No. 9 UNC beat No. 6 Virginia 11-9 on Friday — snapping the Cavaliers’ nine-game win streak against the Tar Heels — but fell to No. 5 Duke 12-9 in Sunday’s ACC tournament championship game at Virginia’s Klöckner Stadium.

“Coming in, no one really gave us a chance at all,” UNC attacker Marcus Holman said. “We like that, and we embrace that … but we know we’re a good team.”

UNC goalie Steven Rastivo — who had a number of momentum-changing saves that kept the Tar Heels close against Duke — said not many people outside the locker room gave the team a chance to even advance to the title game.

“I think we just went out there and tried to prove everyone wrong,” Rastivo said. “We were playing for something. We had a great game plan going into today … (but) I think we played more of a 60-minute game Friday.”

The plot for Sunday’s contest may have been better suited for a drama movie — two rivals squaring off for the conference title on a neutral field while a light rain fell.

For UNC (10-5, 2-3 ACC), the finale was heartbreaking.

“Anytime you lose a game like that, it’s disappointing,” coach Joe Breschi said. “I’m really proud of our guys. They really worked hard … I’m really proud of our effort.”

The third-seeded Tar Heels led top-seeded Duke 4-2 at halftime, but were ultimately done in by a 5-0 Blue Devils run in the third quarter.

“We were a man down several times, and we couldn’t get out of the penalty box,” Breschi said. “It’s unfortunate, but I can’t fault us for hustling and trying to make plays.”

Both teams brought physical play to the title game and that was evident in their 11 combined penalties.

Duke (13-3, 4-1) only capitalized on 33 percent of its extra-man opportunities, but by just having an extra player on the field they never allowed the Tar Heels to settle into an offensive rhythm.

Freshman Chad Tutton was a bright spot for that often-stagnant offense. The midfielder scored three times — twice in the fourth quarter — and almost led UNC to a comeback.

“I just try to pick apart the D, and I feel like I have pretty good field vision,” Tutton said. “I see an opening, I take it and hopefully I capitalize.”

The last time the two teams met, they combined for 12 goals in the first half. On Sunday that number was six.

Though obviously disappointed with the loss, the Tar Heels plan to take the positive aspects from the game in preparation for their last regular-season contest and into the NCAA tournament.

“I think we’ll take a week off and collect ourselves,” Rastivo said. “We’re going into the playoffs with some momentum. We’re confident.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.