No. 1 UNC Men's Lacrosse Heads to the Ivy League Gauntlet
GAME 1: No. 1 North Carolina at No. 19 Penn
Friday, Feb. 27 | 5:00 PM ET | Philadelphia, PA | ESPN+
The Matchup
Penn (1-1) is a program in transition but not one to sleep on. First-year head coach Taylor Wray — a Duke guy, for what it's worth — already has a signature win under his belt, taking down No. 20 UAlbany 15-10 on the road last week. The Quakers dominated the faceoff X in that one (21-8) and got a five-goal explosion in the second quarter that buried the Great Danes.
Junior attackman Davis Provost has been the engine so far, putting up four goals in each of Penn's first two games. Senior middie Griffin Scane — a preseason All-America honorable mention — adds another dimension in transition. And freshman Jackson Maher announced himself with two goals and three assists at UAlbany.
The Quakers lost to No. 5 Georgetown 12-9 in their opener, but the underlying numbers were dead even: tied in shots (34-34), tied in ground balls (28-28), and Penn actually won the faceoff battle. They're better than their record suggests.
What to Watch For
UNC's been lighting up the scoreboard — 20-9 over High Point, 23-7 over Iona, 17-9 over No. 14 Johns Hopkins. The offense is not the question. Redshirt junior Dominic Pietramala has been a man possessed, dropping a seven-goal game against High Point and following it up with two assists against Iona. Junior Owen Duffy continues to be one of the most dangerous attackmen in the country.'
The question is first-year goalkeeper Josh Marcus. He's been up and down — a .444 save percentage against Jacksonville, .364 against High Point, and just .200 against Iona (though UNC was up big). Against Penn's multi-dimensional attack on the road, Marcus will need to step up. Coach Breschi has said he views these moments as critical development reps.
Film Room Take: Penn's been competitive with everyone they've played. Franklin Field under the lights on a Friday night against the No. 1 team in the country? Wray's going to have his guys ready. UNC wins, but don't be shocked if Penn keeps it within striking distance into the fourth.
GAME 2: No. 1 North Carolina at No. 7 Princeton
Sunday, March 1 | 12:00 PM ET | Princeton, NJ | ESPN+
The Matchup
This is the one. Circle it. Underline it. Put it in bold.
Princeton (1-1) entered the season as a consensus top-three team and preseason Ivy League favorite. They lost a nail-biter to No. 14 Penn State in the opener, then turned around and beat No. 2 Maryland 13-12 last week behind a masterclass from senior goalie Ryan Croddick — the reigning Ivy League Goalie of the Year. The Tigers are battle-tested and they've barely played three games.
Senior midfielder Chad Palumbo is the headliner — USA Lacrosse's preseason Midfielder of the Year. The guy scored six goals on six shots in last year's NCAA quarterfinal against Syracuse while playing on a partially torn PCL. He's a problem. Junior Nate Kabiri is the only player in Princeton history to lead the team in assists while scoring 30+ goals in two different seasons. Colin Burns, Tucker Wade, Peter Buonanno — the names keep coming.
And then there's senior faceoff specialist Andrew McMeekin, who's racked up over 400 career faceoff wins and is the only Princeton player ever with 100+ ground balls in two separate seasons. If UNC can't win the X, this game gets ugly fast.
Oh, and one more thing: Princeton and UNC met last March, with the Tigers winning 14-12 in New Jersey. The Tar Heels will remember.
What to Watch For
The Syracuse-Princeton game tonight (Friday, 4 PM) will have a massive ripple effect on Sunday's matchup. If Syracuse — which just lost to Harvard last weekend — takes it to the Tigers, Princeton could be coming in wounded. If Princeton handles the Orange, they'll be riding high with momentum and crowd energy for Sunday's noon start against UNC.
For the Tar Heels, this is about pace and composure. Princeton plays an elite brand of possession lacrosse and will not gift you extra opportunities. UNC's offense has feasted on transition chances against lesser competition — Princeton will take those away. The Tar Heels need Pietramala and Duffy to create in the half-field, and they need Marcus to go save-for-save with Croddick.
Film Room Take: This has Game of the Year potential. Two top-10 teams, a revenge narrative, the ACC/Ivy Challenge spotlight, and it's on ESPN+. If you only watch one lacrosse game this weekend, make it this one. Princeton's home crowd at Sherrerd Field is going to be electric. UNC has the talent to win, but the Tigers have the goalie, the faceoff man, and the home field. Coin flip game.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
If UNC goes 2-0 this weekend, they'll cement themselves as the clear No. 1 team in the country heading into a March slate that includes Brown, Penn State (Crown Classic in Charlotte), and Army. That's a murderer's row, and momentum matters.
If they split? It's still fine. This schedule is designed to prepare Carolina for May. Coach Breschi loaded this thing up with ranked opponents for a reason — seven of UNC's opponents made the NCAA Tournament last year.
If they go 0-2? Well, nobody's predicting that. But the Ivy League has a way of humbling people in February.
Both games stream on ESPN+. Don't miss it.
