Eight Blue Devils recorded goals to lead No. 8 Duke to a 14-9 win against No. 19 North Carolina last Thursday. Freshman attack Jordan Wolf led the way for the Blue Devils four goals, which marked his third hat trick in the past five games.
Duke (6-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won 13 of the last 14 times these two teams have squared off against each other. This meeting also pushed the Blue Devils’ win streak to four.
Six Blue Devils scored on the team’s first eight goals as 10 players recorded at least one point. Freshman Christian Walsh had a career game by recording three points while freshman Josh Dionne and senior Justin Turri both had two goals.
The two teams both started fast as they exchanged goals in the opening two minutes of the game. The next 20 minutes were dominated by Duke as it registered four goals, two of which were scored by Wolf. The Blue Devils managed to keep the Tar Heels (6-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) scoreless during that span.
After a 21-minute scoring drought, the Tar Heels rebounded with a couple of goals to make it a 5-3 game. Josh Dionne scored two of Duke’s next three goals, sending his team into the locker room with an 8-3 lead.
UNC outscored Duke 3-2 in the third period but could not overcome the 10-6 deficit headed into the fourth. The Blue Devils outscored the Tar Heels, 4-3, in the final stanza, solidifying the 14-9 victory. The loss marked UNC’s first home loss since 2008.
The Tar Heels rebound against Dartmouth
UNC rallied late in the game to come back and defeat Dartmouth,12-7, at Fetzer Field on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill. Junior midfielder Jimmy Dunster scored a career-high four goals while sophomore goalie Steven Rastivo made 12 saves in his first career start.
The comeback makes it the Tar Heels’ fifth win in six games, while Dartmouth (3-3, 0-0 Ivy League) loses its second-straight game.
Up 6-5 in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the Tar Heels found a way to weather the storm and go on a five-goal rally that stretched into the fourth quarter. Dunster scored three of those goals. Freshman attack Nicky Galasso matched his career-high with five points, scoring twice and adding three assists.
The Tar Heels received contributions outside of Dunster and Galasso, as well. Sophomore attack Marcus Holman had two goals, freshman attack Pat Foster scored a goal and an assist while Mark McNeill, Billy Bitter and R.G. Keenan also scored goals.
The Big Green tried to fight back, but could not keep up with the surging Tar Heels as they were outscored 8-3 in the second half. Dartmouth was led by senior midfielder Rhett Miller and sophomore attack Nikki Dysenchuk, who both scored two goals.
UNC returns to action on March 26 when it travels to College Park for a 12 p.m. game against Maryland.
De’Shawn Townsend can be reached at [email protected].
