North Carolina
Navy
Tar Heels Suffer Crushing Overtime Loss To Navy
March 5, 2004 | Men's Lacrosse
March 5, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Navy's Clipper Lennon scored a fast break goal with 2:31 remaining in the first overtime period to lift unranked Navy to a 9-8 upset victory over No. 4 North Carolina in men's lacrosse action Friday night at Fetzer Field. It is the second successive year that Navy has defeated UNC in overtime and the fifth straight year the game between the two teams has been decided by one goal, with four of the five games going to overtime.
Lennon was one of four Navy players to record two goals as the Midshipmen improved their record to 2-1. Ian Dingman, Graham Gill and Chris Pieczonka also had two goals each for Navy. UNC's only multiple goal scorer was Scott Falatach who had three goals. Bryant Will had a pair of assists for the Tar Heels.
UNC played virtually the entire game from behind, leading only one time, when sophomore attackman Ryan Blair opened the scoring with 5:01 to play in the first quarter. The Tar Heel never led again. After a 2-2 tie at the end of the first quarter, Gill and Matt Midura had goals early in the second quarter to stake the Mids to a 4-2 lead. Carolina's Johnny Seivold scored with 7:29 left before halftime to make the score 4-3.
Navy increased its lead to 6-3 by scoring the first two goals of the third quarter before Falatach scored his second goal of the game for Carolina to cut the lead to 6-4 at the end of the period.
Piecczonka scored the first of his two goals just six seconds into the fourth quarter to give Navy a three-goal lead. UNC rallied to tie the score on successive goals by Mike McCall, Andrew Lucas and Jed Prossner, but Pieczonka scored again, just 15 seconds after Prossner's goal, to give Navy an 8-7 lead with 8:12 to play.
Carolina forced the overtime on a goal by Falatach, assisted by Jed Prossner, with 1:29 to play before the end of regulation.
UNC won the faceoff in overtime and had three shots at Navy goalkeeper Matt Russell, the first two wide and the third saved. The Midshipmen cleared the ball upfield and Lennon scored on the fast break to hand the Tar Heels a disheartening loss.
Carolina outshot the Midshipmen 46-30 but were thwarted repeatedly by Russell who finished with 12 saves.
The Tar Heels must regroup quickly as they play three difficult games during a Spring Break trip next week -- meeting No. 11 Denver Tuesday, No. 14 Air Force Thursday and No. 8 Notre Dame Sunday -- all on the road.
