Men's Lacrosse Beats Duke To Claim Share of ACC Crown

Sunday, May 2

Chapel Hill

4:00 PM

North Carolina

11-2, 4-2ACC

Duke

12-2, 4-2ACC

Duke University

North Carolina

The Tar Heels had plenty of cause for celebration in Sunday's 15-12 win over Duke.

May 2, 2021 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – How's this sound for a good afternoon?

Upset your biggest rival and avenge an overtime loss to claim a share of the conference championship and close out the regular season in front of thousands of fans cheering from the Carolina blue seats.

That's what Sunday was like for the UNC men's lacrosse team, as the third-ranked Tar Heels beat No. 2 Duke 15-12 before a crowd of 4,050 at Kenan Stadium. With the win, UNC improved to 11-2 overall and 4-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Duke fell to 12-2 overall and also 4-2 in the ACC, so the rivals share this year's conference title.

ACC Co-Champs! 🏆🥍 🔹 UNC last shared the regular-season title in 2016 🔹The Tar Heels last won the ACC Tournament in 2017 (No conference tournament this year for men's lacrosse, so this is THE championship)#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/ts46ctXNwv — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) May 2, 2021

There is no ACC Tournament for men's lacrosse this year, so the Tar Heels now look ahead to the announcement of the 2021 NCAA Tournament field on May 9.

Senior attackman Chris Gray scored three goals, all in the second quarter, and added three assists to lead UNC. Senior midfielder Justin Anderson also registered a hat trick and the Tar Heels got two each from junior Henry Schertzinger and sophomore Lance Tillman.

Freshman goalkeeper Collin Krieg finished with 11 saves.

Junior Zac Tucci and sophomore Andrew Tyeryar combined to win 16 of 31 faceoffs, including seven of eight in a second quarter that saw UNC outscore Duke 7-0. "They did a great job of getting us the ball and getting us possessions, and the offense was just flying around and playing really unselfish," Gray said. "Great credit to Tucci and Tyeryar."

The Tar Heels outshot the Blue Devils 22-4 in that period and led 13-1 in ground balls.

After UNC opened with goals by Jacob Kelly and Schertzinger, the Blue Devils scored four in a row, including two by Owen Caputo, to take a 4-2 lead late in the first quarter. The Tar Heels then reeled off nine goals in a row in a stretch that went from the end of the first quarter to the start of the third. By the time Anderson scored 1:11 after halftime, Carolina led 11-4. The closest that Duke got after that was the three-goal final margin.

The teams' first meeting of the season was on April 1 in Durham, when both teams were undefeated. Duke won that game 12-11 in overtime. UNC pulled this one out while playing without a starting midfielder, senior Tanner Cook, who was sidelined with an injury. In Cook's absence, freshman Cole Herbert made his first career start. "With not having Tanner Cook today, having guys like Cole Herbert and Lance Tillman play the way they did was just fantastic," Breschi said. "We controlled the tempo in the second quarter and it gave us that cushion. They made a run, which we knew was going to happen."

But the Tar Heels were able to hold the Blue Devils off and hang on for the win, and the trophy. Carolina last won an ACC title in 2017 when it claimed the tournament championship. UNC last shared a regular-season title in 2016.

In earning this one, the Tar Heels were far from alone on the UNC campus. Before the 4 p.m. men's lacrosse game started, the Tar Heel women's lacrosse team had already won its fifth-straight ACC Championship earlier Sunday over at Dorrance Field, and the field hockey team had punched a ticket for its 12^th-straight final four appearance at nearby Karen Shelton Stadium. Last weekend the UNC women's tennis team won its fifth ACC title in a row.

"It inspires us to do our part," said Breschi. "We all support each other."