No. 6 UNC men's lacrosse trounces Hofstra, 18-7, at Dorrance Field

The No. 6 North Carolina men’s lacrosse team (5-1) defeated Hofstra (4-2), 18-7, on Saturday afternoon at Dorrance field. 

The Tar Heels wasted no time asserting control in its matchup against Hofstra, delivering an explosive first-quarter performance to build a commanding lead.

Sophomore attackman Owen Duffy set the tone early, firing in an unassisted goal just under three minutes into the first quarter. The Tar Heels continued to apply relentless offensive pressure, doubling their lead moments later when first-year midfielder Mason Szewczyk netted a goal off of an assist from senior midfielder Ryan Levy. Senior midfielder Ty English joined the scoring spree, converting off a feed from sophomore midfielder Andrew Preis to push UNC ahead 3-0.

“Anytime you lose, you come out with a little extra juice,” head coach Joe Breschi said. “Everybody showed that, and played with angst and a little more desire to win - and not just win, and score - but jumping on that and winning big.”

Hofstra’s offense struggled, turning the ball over multiple times on failed clears. The Pride managed to break through with a goal of their own, but their momentum was short-lived. Just seconds later, Duffy responded with his second goal of the game, reigniting the Tar Heels’ offensive onslaught and kept Hofstra on the defensive.

Senior midfielder Dewey Egan extended the lead to 5-1 before the Tar Heels capitalized on a series of Hofstra penalties. Redshirt sophomore Matt Wrede and Levy converted back-to-back man-up goals, and Wrede found himself on the assisting end of another man-up score, feeding Spencer Wirtheim to bring it to 8-1.

Hofstra’s struggles continued late in the quarter as UNC capitalized on transition play. Graduate midfielder Nick Dupuis added to the Tar Heels’ dominant start, and in the final minute, first-year attackman Brevin Wilson netted his first goal of the season, capping off a commanding 10-1 first-quarter lead for North Carolina.

The Tar Heels carried their momentum into the second quarter, striking first when junior attackman James Matan buried a goal off an assist from Wirtheim. Hofstra’s offensive woes persisted, as the Pride hit the post twice and failed to convert on a man-up opportunity after a slashing penalty on UNC.

UNC continued to push the pace — Egan added his second goal of the game, and just seconds later, Wambach recorded his first goal of the season off a feed from Duffy to extend the lead to 13-1.

Hofstra finally managed a response at 4:40, but the Tar Heels countered swiftly. Matan tacked on his second goal of the quarter off a pass from Wrede, restoring UNC’s dominant lead.

UNC entered the halftime break firmly in control with a commanding 15-4 advantage.

“The offense is definitely starting to come together,” Duffy said. “We had 15 first half goals, but I think just as a unit, we were playing really well today and I was just helping to see to that.”

After nearly 12 minutes of scoreless action, The Pride brought in a goal, cutting the Tar Heel lead to 15-5.

The quarter ended with North Carolina held scoreless for the first time in the game, as Hofstra began showing signs of life heading into the final frame.

The Tar Heels opened the fourth quarter by winning the face-off, but early turnovers disrupted offensive flow. At the 12:33 mark, UNC snapped its scoring drought when sophomore attackman Dominic Pietramala buried his 22nd goal of the season off a crisp feed from Duffy, extending the lead to 16-5.

“We kind of fell in love with a couple of first layer turnovers, those capsule pieces we don't do,” Wirtheim said. “We just had to get one to fall.”

Hofstra responded quickly — just 20 seconds later — bringing the score to 16-6.

Midway through the fourth, Egan tallied his second goal of the night, to stretch UNC’s lead to 17-6.

UNC controlled faceoffs down the stretch, helping them maintain possession and limit Hofstra’s comeback hopes. While Hofstra forced a handful of turnovers, its struggles to clear and set up sustained offensive possessions kept them from truly closing the gap.

With just over a minute left, Wilson struck again, burying his second goal of the season off an assist from Wrede to put the finishing touch on the Tar Heels’ dominant performance.

Hofstra managed one last shot attempt in the closing seconds, but Goode made the stop as time expired, securing an 18-7 victory for North Carolina.

“We preach, it doesn't matter who's on the other side,” Duffy said. “It matters what's in our group. But I think no matter who we play, I think we're confident going into the next.”

UNC returns to action next Sunday on Dorrance Field against Jacksonville at 2 p.m.

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