Second half collapse dooms No. 5 UNC men's lacrosse in loss to No. 9 Notre Dame

UNC was on a tear. Then, everything changed. 

The Tar Heels took a 4-0 lead in the first period — four goals from four different players. Notre Dame failed to find the back of the net until the last minute in the second quarter. It looked like North Carolina might run away with the win. 

But something shifted coming out of halftime. 

“They jumped on us," head coach Joe Breschi said. "And we didn't handle that rush well."

The No. 5 UNC men's lacrosse team fell, 12-6, to No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. Even with many opportunities, the Tar Heels could not muster a comeback to take back the early lead they possessed. Six marks the fewest number of goals UNC has scored in a game this season.

It was all going UNC's way, at first. 

North Carolina dominated possession. Sophomore faceoff specialist Brady Wambach won the draw, 4-1, in the first quarter. 

UNC took 16 shots compared to Notre Dame’s 9 in the first period. UNC had seven shots on goal. Notre Dame had zero. The Tar Heels grabbed more ground balls and were perfect in clears. Graduate goalkeeper Michael Gianforcaro didn’t make any saves. He didn’t need to. It was the first game all season where Notre Dame did not score in the opening quarter. 

UNC didn't score a goal in the second frame but remained in control. Gianforcaro made two critical saves —both acrobatic finishes — to keep the team steady and in the lead. 

The only blemish in the half: Notre Dame's first goal in the final seconds before a break from senior attackman Chris Kavanagh, who ranks second in the ACC in points per game.

One point is the fewest Notre Dame had scored in an opening half all season. 

“When you're up 4-1 at half, you feel pretty good about what you're doing, how you're doing it,”  Breshi said. 

Then, everything began to crumble. 

Notre Dame scored first. Redshirt sophomore Dominic Pietramala scored over a minute later. The Fighting Irish were not done. Three consecutive goals tied the game at 5-5 with less than four minutes left in the third. 

“They just made more plays than us in the second half,” Breshi said. “It was off the ground and in transition. They don't make a lot of mistakes.”

Senior midfielder Ryan Levy scored on UNC’s next possession, working to make the game North Carolina's once again. However, it ended up being UNC's final goal of the game. 

They didn’t have time to make in-game adjustments because with such a good first half, they didn't plan to change anything.

But Notre Dame did. 

From there, the Fighting Irish dominated. They scored seven unanswered goals to end the second half. 

Mistakes plagued North Carolina. Missed passes, unforced turnovers and missed shots led to the team’s eventual demise. UNC recorded six turnovers in the fourth quarter and just two shots on goal.  

“We had more opportunities that we just didn't take advantage of,” Breschi said. 

Kavanagh, though it took him nearly a half to get started, recorded four total goals by the end of Saturday's game. 

Breschi said they had anticipated Kavanagh to be a problem, especially after the score in the second quarter, but the Tar Heels weren’t physical enough to stop him. 

In the final period, Breschi said the team tried to get the momentum back. They tried to stay encouraged, inspiring one another to take it one play at a time. But they couldn't get it back. 

“[It was] the tale of two halves,” Breschi said.

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