The No. 2 Irish hosted the No. 1 Tar Heels Saturday in a sold-out conference matchup, where after a slow start, the Irish held strong and won 10-5.
Fans packed the bleachers and fields alike to witness the action between the top-two teams in the nation and their battle for first.
The adrenaline and intensity of the game seemed to take hold of both teams in blue as the first quarter began. The Irish were held back in the first, the Tar Heels leaving the home team scoreless.
North Carolina star attackman Dominic Pietramala was the first to find the back of the net with just under 9 minutes remaining in the first, capitalizing on a Notre Dame holding penalty by junior defenseman Shawn Lyght. In the final two minutes of the first, Brevin Wilson beat Irish senior goaltender Thomas Ricciardelli to put the Tar Heels up by two as the first quarter ended.
In the second, the Irish reversed course and scored 4 straight goals on Tar Heels goaltender Josh Marcus.
Less than a minute in, sophomore attackman Luke Miller scored first for the home team with an unassisted goal. He was joined just over a minute later by junior attackman Brock Behrman, with an assist by graduate attackman Josh Yago. Halfway through the second, graduate midfielder Will Angrick scored off a set-up play from Will Maheras to establish the first Irish lead of the game.
56 seconds later, true freshman attackman Teddy Lally connected off a pass from Yago and scored, putting the Irish up 4-2. Despite the defensive efforts from the Irish, they could not keep the visiting team scoreless in the second quarter and allowed a goal from North Carolina star Owen Duffy, ending the period 4-3 with a Notre Dame lead.
Coming back onto the field after the first half, the Tar Heels needed to reestablish their strategy to keep the game within reach. They were not prepared for the offensive dominance the Irish put on display in the second and were counting on halftime to diminish the fire lit under Notre Dame.
Twelve seconds into the third, Parker Hoffman scored for North Carolina, tying the game. The sold-out crowd in attendance was already anticipating an entertaining match, but at this point in the game, fans of both teams perched anxiously on the edge of their seats.
After a penalty from a North Carolina player, who cross-checked Miller in the neck, Irish graduate midfielder Jalen Seymour scored off a pass from Yago to reclaim the Irish lead. On even strength a little over two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Matt Jeffery, assisted by Behrman, scored and put the Irish up 6-4.
As the third period clock dwindled down, North Carolina became more aggressive on defense. Their brutal style of play yielded the Tar Heels another artistic goal by Luke Macaluso. In the final two minutes of the third, Miller snuck past the North Carolina defenders and nailed a shot into the left side of the net, doing the work himself and ending the quarter with a 7-5 lead for the Irish.
In the fourth and final quarter, the Irish seemed more comfortable and determined to finish the game on their terms. Notre Dame held North Carolina back, preventing them from scoring as Lally scored two goals, finishing his hat trick. Miller was not far behind him, scoring a third unassisted goal to earn a hat trick himself. The Irish won with a final score of 10-5, the doubled score by the home team even sweeter with over 5,000 fans in attendance.
After the game, head coach Kevin Corrigan said, “You know, when I came out here thirty years ago, there was hardly any lacrosse whatsoever. You were lucky if you could find a stick in the state of Indiana. And now, for those guys to be here, flying in to play at Arlotta Stadium, for us to have that kind of a crowd, that kind of a game against a great North Carolina team. [It’s] just great stuff. Great, great, great for our sport.”
Notre Dame’s team had a strong performance from multiple players. Yago, the Air Force transfer, had 3 assists, and Tally and Miller each tallied a hat trick. Throughout the course of the game, goaltender Thomas Ricciardelli course-corrected and earned 15 saves. Named to the 2025 All ACC-Team, Ricciardelli was vital in keeping Notre Dame grounded in the game and maintaining possession at any given opportunity.
Ricciardelli did not hesitate to compliment the team surrounding him after the game.
“I mean, you look at the stat sheet and see my stats, but my stats aren’t just about me. They’re about the guys that were able to cause that,” he said.
Ricciardelli also demonstrated a tendency to go after loose groundballs, a move that can make or break a game as intense as the one against North Carolina.
“I would consider myself, you know, pretty confident in those situations,” he said after the game. “But if I see the ball, I’m gonna go get it. You know, it’s just another guy to have on in the clearing game.”
Notre Dame’s performance against North Carolina is a testament to the strong team Notre Dame has established since winning national titles in 2023 and 2024. With two games left in the season, the Irish have a chance to prove they belong at the top once again.
The Irish will travel to face No. 13 Duke on Saturday in Durham, N.C. The conference match begins at noon at Freeman Field, Koskinen Stadium, and will be streamed on ACC Network.
