North Carolina jumped out to a 9-1 lead and withstood a furious fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Denver 15-13 at Peter Barton Stadium on Sunday.
The Tar Heels (5-0), ranked No. 7 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20, appeared ready to cruise to an easy win after Justin Anderson scored his third goal to give them a 13-5 lead at the end of the third quarter.
But the No. 12 Pioneers (3-2) came out on fire in the fourth quarter, outscoring North Carolina 8-2 in the frame and nearly coming all the way back. Were it not for a pair of Anderson goals scored a minute apart midway through the frame, the story coming out of Denver could very well have been about an epic collapse.
Denver, which started freshman Jack Thompson in goal, responded to Anderson’s tallies with three straight Jack Hannah goals that pulled the Pioneers to within 15-12 with 2:47 remaining. Ethan Walker (five goals) made it a two-goal game with 28 seconds remaining, but the Pioneers could draw no closer.
Anderson finished with a game-high seven points on five goals and two assists.