Fourth quarter surge sends UNC men’s lacrosse to ACC title game

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 10: Lacrosse pylon with University of North Carolina and Atlantic Coast Conference logos during a game between Bryant and North Carolina at Dorrance Field on March 10, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) | Getty Images

For the first time since winning it in 2017, the UNC men’s lacrosse team will play for an ACC Tournament title.

The second-seeded Tar Heels beat reigning tournament champion Syracuse 12-10 in a semifinal matchup on Friday, outscoring the third-seeded Orange 5-2 in the fourth quarter. Carolina went down 9-7 just over a minute into the final period but responded with four straight goals to take control. Sophomore Brevin Wilson completed a hat trick with 1:46 remaining to effectively secure the win after Syracuse cut the lead to one.

For much of the first half, both teams had trouble finding the back of the net. The game was tied 2-2 with five minutes left in the second quarter before a flurry of goals that ended with the Orange leading 6-4 at halftime. The Tar Heels scored the first three goals of the third quarter to regain the lead, but Syracuse answered with a pair to take it back going into the fourth.

The Orange had been 9-1 this season when leading at halftime and Carolina had been 0-3 when trailing at halftime this season.

Wilson’s three goals led the team and tied for the game high, while junior Owen Duffy set a new career high with six assists (including one on Wilson’s dagger) in addition to a goal of his own. Freshman goalie Josh Marcus made 11 saves and finished with a .524 save percentage, marking the seventh time this season he stopped more than half of the shots he faced.

UNC outshot Syracuse 41-40, with both teams recording 21 shots on goal. The Tar Heels lost the turnover battle 20-16 and the ground ball battle 32-31, but won the faceoff battle 14-12. Junior Brady Wambach, who was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday, took every faceoff and scored two goals. He also surpassed the program record for ground balls in a season, reaching 162. The previous mark of 160 had stood since 1996.