#10 Syracuse Drops Regular Season Finale To #8 UNC

Saturday, April 26

Syracuse, N.Y.

5 p.m.

Syracuse University

9-5, 2-2ACC

North Carolina

10-3, 3-1ACC

North Carolina

Syracuse

#10 Syracuse Drops Regular Season Finale To #8 UNC

4/26/2025 7:24:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 10/11 Syracuse University men's lacrosse team mounted a late rally but ultimately fell 14-12 to No. 8/8 North Carolina in its final regular season contest Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The Orange (9-5, 2-2 ACC) were led by five points from both Joey Spallina (5a) and Sam English (3g, 2a). Owen Hiltz, Michael Leo and Finn Thomson all netted a pair of goals while Jimmy McCool made 16 saves for the Orange, just two short of his season-best.

North Carolina (10-3, 3-1 ACC) got a season-best seven points from Dominic Pietramala (6g, 1a) and two goals from both Spencer Wirtheim and James Matan. Owen Duffy registered four assists as eight different Tar Heels recorded at least one point.

How It Happened

Leo tallied the game's first goal exactly two minutes off a Spallina assist to cap off Syracuse's first possession. After the Tar Heels answered with a goal of their own, Hiltz nudged the Orange back ahead 2-1 with 9:36 remaining in the opening period.
Both offenses cooled off in the latter stages of the first quarter, with North Carolina scoring the final goal of the period at the 5:36 mark.
The Orange netted the first two goals of the second quarter to take a 4-2 advantage. English struck first at the 12:57 mark before Michael Grace delivered his second of the season on a dish from Spallina with 8:51 remaining.
The Tar Heels responded with four goals in the final eight minutes of the second, including three in the final 3:55, to take a 6-4 lead into halftime. Pietramala notched three of North Carolina's four goals in the frame.
Thomson quickly broke the ice for Syracuse out of the break, scoring 52 seconds into the third quarter after Hiltz caused a turnover and found the wide-open Thomson in front of the net. However, the Tar Heels scored the next three, including two more from Pietramala, to go ahead 9-5.
Syracuse connected on a pair of goals in the final 1:01 of the third quarter to trim its deficit to 9-7. Tyler Cordes scored his fourth of the season while Leo converted on his second of the contest before North Carolina beat the buzzer to extend its lead back to three, 10-7, entering the fourth.
After North Carolina stretched its lead back to four with a goal 18 seconds into the fourth, Thomson scored his second of the day on an English assist to make the score 11-8 with seven minutes remaining. Matan responded within a minute for North Carolina before Pietramala collected his sixth of the game to give the Tar Heels a 13-8 advantage. North Carolina added another with 3:01 to go up by six, its largest lead of the contest.
Syracuse mounted a furious comeback bid in the closing minutes. English started the rally with a goal before Greg Elijah-Brown made it 14-10 with 1:18 remaining. English added another tally with 49 seconds to go before Hilz added one just 12 seconds later to bring the Orange back within two, 14-12.
The Orange won the ensuing faceoff with 37 seconds on the clock and quickly found the net again, but the goal was disallowed. Syracuse was unable to score from there as the Tar Heels held on for victory.

Behind The Numbers

English extended his goal streak to seven and matched his season high with three goals. Hiltz took his streak to six with his three-goal effort.
McCool made eight of his 16 saves on the night in the opening quarter as the Orange limited North Carolina to just a pair of goals in the period.
Spallina's five assists were just one short of his season high. It was his third game on the campaign with five-plus assists.
The Orange had seven different goal scorers and eight different players record at least one point.
Syracuse won the final three faceoffs to spark its closing 4-0 run.

Up Next
The Orange will compete at the ACC Championships next week. Syracuse will be the No. 4 seed and face top-seeded Notre Dame in the semifinal round on Friday, May 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Tickets for the upcoming ACC Tournament can be found here.