Heading into its final regular season game, the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team is still looking to clinch an at-large bid in the 16-team NCAA Tournament.
When the Tar Heels face top-ranked Notre Dame on May 6, they’ll have a prime opportunity to potentially punch their ticket.
Just last week, UNC fell to the Fighting Irish, 16-9, in a game that saw Notre Dame dominate offensively. Given North Carolina’s No. 14 ranking in the RPI, a win would go a long way in securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
With its season on the line, here are two keys that could help the Tar Heels pull off the upset.
Start strong
The Tar Heels immediately dug themselves into a hole in the last matchup by falling behind 6-1 through the first 15 minutes of play. Although the team closed the gap in the second quarter, UNC was outscored 4-1 in the third and ultimately couldn’t recover.
UNC has dropped five of its last nine games, and the Tar Heels were outscored in the first period in all but one of their losses. Setting the tone of a matchup is critical against any team, but that importance is magnified when facing a top-ranked opponent like Notre Dame, whose high-powered offense ranks second in the nation with 16.4 goals per game.
Part of the North Carolina’s struggles to come out firing relates to its occasional carelessness with the ball, as the Tar Heels committed seven turnovers in the first period and five in the third against the Fighting Irish on Saturday. When the team improved its play in the second period, it only turned the ball over three times.
Although the Tar Heels were eventually able to respond offensively – primarily thanks to hat tricks from sophomore Dewey Egan and first-year James Matan – Notre Dame jumped out to its early lead by building a 15-8 shot margin in the first quarter, which put tremendous pressure on the Tar Heels' back line. If UNC hopes to dictate the tempo early, the team will need to make the most of its opportunities and eliminate extra possessions for the Fighting Irish offense.
