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The Daily Tar Heel

No. 5 UNC men's lacrosse falls, 12-6, to No. 9 Notre Dame

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UNC sophomore Brady Wambach (22) takes the faceoff during the UNC men's lacrosse game against Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Dorrance Field.

The No. 5 North Carolina men’s lacrosse team (9-3, 3-1 ACC) fell to the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3, 2-0 ACC), 12-6, on Saturday afternoon at Dorrance Field. 

Both squads started with tight defense and blocked shots on both sides. Junior attackman James Matan scored the first goal of the game over halfway through the first quarter behind an assist from sophomore attackman Owen Duffy. 

On UNC’s next possession, first-year attackman Brevin Wilson weaved from behind the goal and faked out his defenders to notch his fifth goal of the season. 

After Notre Dame’s next shot was blocked, the Tar Heels raced down the field. First-year midfielder Caden Harshbarger found senior midfielder Ty English to continue UNC’s unanswered scoring tear. 

In an extra-man opportunity, junior attackman Matt Wrede passed to first-year attackman Mason Szewczyk. In a blink-and-you-miss-it maneuver, Szewczyk powered the ball into the net. 

Heading into the second quarter, North Carolina held a 4-0 lead. 

After a stagnant second frame, Notre Dame’s Chris Kavanagh scored the team's first goal with one minute left in the half. 

The Fighting Irish offense struck again four minutes into the half. After their 4-0 start, the Tar Heels had not scored in over 20 game-minutes. 

A minute later, redshirt sophomore Dominic Pietramala added his name to the scorecard. With an assist from Wrede, Pietramala ended UNC’s scoring drought. 

Notre Dame wasted no time to get on the board again. Kavanagh struck once again right at the net after causing defensive confusion. 

On their next possession, Notre Dame found the back of the net to cut their deficit to one goal.

While Gianforcaro made a crucial save to stop Notre Dame from tying the game, North Carolina could not build their lead on the next possession. Notre Dame tied the game, 5-5, on their next attempt. 

With three minutes left in the quarter, senior midfielder Ryan Levy ended Notre Dame’s scoring run with a critical goal of his own. 

But UNC’s celebration was short-lived. Kavanagh scored again, with a dive into the crease, to tie the game yet again. 

With fifteen seconds left in the half, Notre Dame took the lead for the first time at 7-6. 

Despite winning the faceoff, Levy turned the ball over to begin the final frame. The Fighting Irish seized their opportunity and built their lead to two points. 

Another UNC turnover then led to another Notre Dame goal. The Tar Heels were now down 9-6 when they once held a four-point lead. 

Notre Dame held all the momentum. Another swipe of a stick built UNC’s deficit to four. 

The Fighting Irish remained unstoppable. UNC fell 12-6 with no goals in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels will travel to Syracuse on Saturday to take on the Orange at 5 p.m. 

@aplancaster_

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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