University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Syracuse
UNC Falls To Syracuse In ACC Tournament Semifinals
April 30, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
KENNESAW, GA. – Despite hat tricks by Brian Cannon and Steve Pontrello and a 12-save performance by Brian Balkam, the 11th-ranked University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team fell to eighth-ranked Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
Fourth-seeded Syracuse advances to the ACC finals Sunday at 12 noon where it will play the winner of Friday's second semifinal game between #2 seed Notre Dame and #3 seed Duke. The winner of Sunday's game earns the automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels, now 8-6 on the season, will look to earn an at-large bid to the tournament when selections are announced on May 8.
Syracuse, now 9-4, jumped out to a big first-half lead against Carolina on Friday just as it did in the regular-season meeting on April 16 when the Orange won 13-7 at the Carrier Dome. In that game, Syracuse led by 8-2 at halftime before Carolina fought back to within two goals in the fourth quarter. The same script was followed in Friday's game as Syracuse led 6-1 in the first half before the Heels cut the lead to two goals at halftime.
Steve Pontrello, who earlier Friday was named one of the 25 Tewaaraton Trophy nominees for 2016, led the Tar Heels with a five-point game as he scored three goals and added two assists. That marked the 11th career hat trick for Pontrello. Brian Cannon had three goals in the game, earning his first career hat trick. Patrick Kelly had a goal and an assist for the Tar Heels who were outshot by Syracuse 37-36.
Evan Molloy had an outstanding day in goal for Syracuse as he made 14 saves and allowed just seven goals for the second time in a starting role against Carolina this year. Brian Balkam went the whole way in goal for UNC and made 12 saves while allowing 10 goals.
Syracuse had a slight edge in the face-off circle at 12-9 as well as in ground balls at 24-23. Carolina committed 13 turnovers while Syracuse had 11. The Tar Heels excelled in the extra-man offense as the Heels went 4-for-4 on the night while SU was 2-for-4.
Syracuse jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter before Cannon scored Carolina's first goal with 12:25 left in the second quarter, converting an extra-man tally off an assist by Steve Pontrello. Syracuse then rattled off a pair of extra-man goals of its own by Dylan Donahue and Jordan Evans and when Tim Barber followed that up with a goal off an assist by Nick Mariano, it was 6-1 Orange with five and a half minutes left in the half.
UNC rallied with three goals of it own before intermission. Cannon scored his second man-up goal of the half at 4:01, assisted by Patrick Kelly. Just 57 seconds later, Kelly scored off an assist by Pontrello. Then at 1:54, Pontrello scored Carolina's only unassisted goal of the night, pulling the Tar Heels within 6-4.
The third quarter belonged to both goalkeepers as Balkam made seven saves and Molloy had four. Syracuse scored the only two goals of the quarter with Derek DeJoe notching a tally at 6:03 and then Sergio Salcido making it 8-4 with 55 seconds left.
Syracuse twice built five-goal leads in the fourth quarter before the Tar Heels rallied with two late man-up scores. Steve Pontrello scored on the EMO from Luke Goldstock with 6:14 to play, his 39th goal of the season. Cannon then scored with 4:55 to play as he tallied his third goal of the game, assisted by Michael Tagliaferri.
The Tar Heels could get no closer, however, as for the fourth straight year the tournament's #4 seed knocked off the #1 seed in the semifinals, attesting once again to the parity in the ACC.
