No. 8 North Carolina men’s lacrosse (8-2, 1-0 ACC) opened conference play with a 18-9 win over Virginia (5-6, 0-2 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Dorrance Field.
The Tar Heels’ 18 goals were the most against an ACC opponent since they scored 19 against Syracuse in 2023. Sophomore attack Dominic Pietramala continued his run, scoring four goals, while sophomore attack Owen Duffy and graduate midfielder Spencer Wirtheim each tallied five points.
“It was a monster win to start off the conference [play] with a W,” head coach Joe Breschi said, “And I think we learned our lessons from last week and just played our tails off.”
UNC sent a message from the opening draw, with first-year midfielder Caden Harshbarger’s spin move snipe putting UNC in front just seconds into the game. It was all North Carolina in the opening minutes, with two goals from Pietramala in just seven seconds highlighting a four goal run to start the game.
It only took six seconds for Virginia to respond, as Henry Metz took his face off win straight down the field and finished the play himself. The Cavaliers began connecting on shots from the outside, and the UNC lead was cut to one in the first quarter’s final minutes.
“They were gonna go on runs, that’s kind of how the sport is,” senior midfielder Ryan Levy said. “So just staying really even keel, take care of them, take care of our business.”
The Tar Heels were back in control early in the second quarter, with Levy breaking the scoring drought with a wraparound goal. Duffy had a drive to the slot for a great look that extended the North Carolina lead to three.
The Cavaliers found their groove offensively, with nearly every shot on goal finding the back of the net. A man-up goal sparked a three goal Virginia run, including two goals in seven seconds, to tie the game.
Pietramala put his foot down, with his bounce shot from outside putting UNC back in front halfway through the second quarter. Minutes later, he drove to the left wing and connected for his fourth goal of the game.
