The No. 5 UNC men’s lacrosse team (6-1) defeated the Jacksonville Dolphins (5-3), 20-7, on Sunday afternoon at Dorrance Field.
Behind six goals from sophomore attacker Owen Duffy, North Carolina dominated Jacksonville throughout the entire game.
“He let the game come to him and he's been managing the game really well,” head coach Joe Breschi said. “He did a terrific job.”
After a scramble for the opening draw, UNC’s first shot was blocked. After gaining possession, Jacksonville raced down the field and scored the first goal of the game.
The Tar Heels leveled the score on their next opportunity. First-year attackman Mason Szewczyk crashed the circle and snuck the ball past the goalkeeper.
The goal kicked off a 5-0 Tar Heel run. Duffy led the pack, notching two goals — including one behind the back — and one assist.
The Dolphins then surged for a run of their own. Scoring on back-to-back possessions, they fought back to bring the score to 5-3.
Junior attackman James Matan ended Jacksonville’s scoring run by running in his third goal of the season. As the seconds wound down in the first quarter, Duffy found the goal again to bring North Carolina to a 7-3 advantage at the break.
“[The defense] got us going,” senior midfielder Ty English said. “Every time they went on a run or got a good stop, that kind of domino effect let the offense see that and be able to take it to the other end and score goals.”