In a thrilling semifinal clash that had fans on the edge of their seats, the UNC men's lacrosse team punched their ticket to the ACC Tournament title game for the first time since 2017. The second-seeded Tar Heels staged a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to defeat reigning tournament champion Syracuse 12-10, proving that resilience and grit are just as important as skill on the big stage.

The game was a back-and-forth battle from the start. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm early, with the score knotted at 2-2 late in the second quarter. But Syracuse exploded with a scoring spree to take a 6-4 halftime lead—a dangerous position for the Tar Heels, who entered the game 0-3 this season when trailing at the break, while the Orange boasted a 9-1 record when leading.

UNC came out firing in the third quarter, netting three unanswered goals to reclaim the lead. But Syracuse answered with two of their own, heading into the final frame up 9-7. That's when the Tar Heels found another gear. Down just over a minute into the fourth quarter, they unleashed a four-goal surge that silenced the Orange's momentum. Sophomore Brevin Wilson capped off his hat trick with a dagger with just 1:46 remaining, sealing the win after Syracuse had cut the lead to one.

Wilson's three goals tied for the game high, but the real star of the show was junior Owen Duffy, who dished out a career-high six assists—including the setup on Wilson's game-clincher—and added a goal of his own. In goal, freshman Josh Marcus was a wall, making 11 saves for a .524 save percentage, marking the seventh time this season he's stopped more than half the shots he's faced.

The stats tell the story of a hard-fought win: UNC outshot Syracuse 41-40, with both teams putting 21 shots on goal. The Tar Heels lost the turnover battle (20-16) and ground ball battle (32-31), but they dominated at the faceoff X, winning 14 of 26 draws. Junior Brady Wambach, recently named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, was a force in the circle, taking every faceoff and scoring two goals. He also etched his name in the record books, surpassing the program's single-season ground ball record with 162—breaking a mark of 160 that had stood since 1996.

Now, the Tar Heels set their sights on the championship. They'll face #4 seed Virginia, who upset #1 seed Notre Dame 15-10 in the other semifinal. The two teams met earlier this season in a classic, with UNC edging the Cavaliers 16-15 in overtime. Sunday's rematch at 12:00 PM ET on ACC Network promises to be another must-watch showdown.