University of North Carolina Athletics
Best Games Of 2014-15: No. 6
July 10, 2015 | Men's Lacrosse
Once again this July, GoHeels.com will count down the top 25 wins of the school year. Check back around noon EDT each weekday for the latest update before the No. 1 win is revealed on July 17. To catch up on previous entries, click here.
No. 6: No. 4 Carolina 12, No. 1 Denver 10 - Men's Lacrosse, Feb. 27, 2015
The blast of winter weather that hit North Carolina in February wreaked havoc on early season spring sport schedules throughout the athletic department. It led to widespread cancellations and "home" baseball games in Orlando and Florence, South Carolina. And for the Carolina men's lacrosse team, it led to a key top-5 matchup with the eventual national champs at the cozy confines of Navy Field.
Despite a lack of dedicated seating at what normally serves as a football practice field, close to 2,000 fans squeezed in to watch the Tar Heels and Pioneers play one of the most compelling early games of the 2015 men's lacrosse season. DU came in ranked No. 1 in the country after three wins to open the season while Carolina was 4-0 and ranked fourth after a 13-11 win over Johns Hopkins.
Though the venue was not ideal for the fans or the national ESPNU broadcast, the synthetic turf proved advantageous for the UNC offense. The high-powered Tar Heels out-shot the Pios by a 57-35 margin, but Carolina's inability to put shots on cage led to a 5-3 Denver lead at halftime.
Wesley Berg put DU up 6-3 less than 30 seconds into the third quarter before UNC finally began to break through.
Peyton Klawinski and Luke Goldstock scored within 20 seconds of one another to pull the Tar Heels within one before Chad Tutton's man-up goal tied the score at 6. It was the first of three for Tutton, whose second hat trick of the young season led the Carolina offense. UNC scored three more in the period, including a second from Tutton, to turn a 6-3 deficit into a 9-7 lead with 15 minutes to play.
Denver pulled within one goal twice in the final quarter, but Jake Bailey's unassisted tally with 63 seconds remaining made it 12-10. It was the second time in as many seasons that Bailey scored late in a win over a No. 1 team as the senior defenseman also sealed a win against No. 1 Maryland in 2014.
Carolina would eventually push its season-opening winning streak to nine games, rising to No. 2 in the national rankings in the process thanks to a strange but satisfying late winter win in Chapel Hill.
Previous Entries
No. 7: Carolina 45, No. 25 Duke 20 - Football, Nov. 20, 2014
No. 8: No. 13 Carolina 4, No. 3 Illinois 3 (NCAA Round of 16) - Men's Tennis, May 14, 2015
No. 9: Carolina 2, No. 7 Clemson 1 (NCAA Round of 16): Men's Soccer, Nov. 30, 2014
No. 10: LeHardy Leads Carolina To ACC Title - Women's Cross Country, Oct. 31, 2014
No. 11: No. 6 Carolina 96, No. 18 Rutgers 93 (2 OT) - Women's Basketball, Dec. 4, 2014
No. 12: No. 8 Carolina 3, No. 3 Florida State 1 - Volleyball, Nov. 14, 2014
No. 13: No. 1 Carolina 2, No. 2 Connecticut 1 - Field Hockey, Sept. 28, 2014
No. 14: Carolina 7, No. 24 Notre Dame 3 (8 inn.) - Softball, April 26, 2015
No. 15: No. 17 Carolina 5, No. 21 Georgia Tech 3 - Baseball, March 20, 2015
No. 16: No. 9 Carolina 3, No. 18 Notre Dame 2 (2 OT) - Women's Soccer, Sept. 20, 2014
No. 17: No. 19 Carolina 71, No. 3 Virginia 67 (ACC Tournament) - Men's Basketball, March 14, 2015
No. 18: No. 16 Carolina 4, No. 9 Duke 3 (ACC Championship) - Men's Tennis, April 24, 2015
No. 19: No. 4 Carolina 17, No. 2 Syracuse 15 - Men's Lacrosse, April 11, 2015
No. 20: No. 2 Carolina 4, No. 12 Virginia 3 - Women's Tennis, April 10, 2015
No. 21: No. 14 Carolina 1, No. 7 Penn State 0 (2 OT) - Women's Soccer, Sept. 9, 2014
No. 22: No. 2 Carolina 12, No. 3 Duke 6 - Women's Lacrosse, April 17, 2015
No. 23: Carolina 15, No. 9 Georgia 9 - Softball, April 2, 2015
No. 24: Carolina 17, No. 12 Virginia 16 - Wrestling, Feb. 7, 2015
No. 25: Tar Heels Sweep Virginia in Charlottesville - Swimming and Diving, Jan. 24, 2015
