By the time the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team woke up, it was too late.
Facing No. 10 Syracuse on the road, the No. 11 Tar Heels needed to play sharp to threaten a team that was just 2-3 against ranked opponents entering Saturday’s contest.
But the Orange blitzed the Tar Heels, playing a near-perfect opening quarter. UNC was bested in the phases that it usually dominates on the way to a 13-7 loss.
From ground balls to faceoffs, Syracuse (7-4, 2-2 ACC) out-hustled UNC (7-5, 2-1 ACC) whenever there was an opportunity to do so.