On Thursday evening, the stakes were the highest they’ve been all season for the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team. The unranked Tar Heels were on a three-game losing streak heading into their ACC Tournament matchup against No. 7 Syracuse, one of the three teams that had just recently defeated UNC. North Carolina needed a win if it hoped to have any shot at making the NCAA Tournament.
It would take a furious comeback from the Tar Heels to overcome the Orange, 11-10, and keep their postseason hopes alive.
The game at UNC Lacrosse Stadium started off identical to the last matchup between these two teams, with Syracuse picking up two consecutive goals to open the scoring. Junior midfielder William Perry quickly responded, scoring UNC’s (8-6, 1-3 ACC) first and second goals in a span of just 77 seconds.
“A big part of our game plan today was to wear down their defense and use as much of the shot clock as we could,” Perry said. “So, that’s what we did, and we were lucky to get a couple of good looks after they went up two.”
From that point through the middle of the fourth quarter, the game took on an intense back and forth style of play. Neither team was able to run away with more than a one-goal lead until midway through the final period.
