In the first game of the weekend, eighth seeded UNC will host unseeded Richmond on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.
It’s a game that could have been hosted by the Spiders. Richmond finished with the eighth best RPI in the nation compared to the ninth for UNC, but the committee gave UNC the nod, in large part due to their pair of wins over RPI top ten teams.
The Spiders are looking to finally break through to the quarterfinals and get their first NCAA tournament win in team history. This will be their sixth trip to the tournament in program history, most recently making it in 2023.
The Spiders have been strong all year, with wins over Georgetown and Virginia this season. Their losses have all been high quality, including an overtime loss against Duke and a one-goal loss to the Cornell Big Red. Other than Penn State, nobody has played the top seeded Big Red closer than the Spiders.
The Spiders enter the tournament on the back of a dominant run through the A-10 tournament, including their title victory over High Point.
UNC makes their re-introduction to the NCAA tournament after missing the dance for three straight seasons. The last time they did make it, in 2021, they went all the way to the final four before falling by a single goal to the eventual champion Virginia Cavaliers. While a young team, their staff has more experience that any in the country. Head Coach Joe Breschi and assistant Dave Pietremala have won a combined three national titles.
UNC was humbled in the ACC Tournament by Duke, who led 12-1 at one point.
On the field, these teams are very different. Richmond is one of the deepest groups in the country, with 11 players in double digits in points this season. In their victory over High Point, the Spiders got goals from eight different players. But in saying that, they lack a bonafide star up front. The closest is A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Aidan O’Neill, who had a nice year with 28 goals and 22 assists.
UNC has one of the best duos in the country in Owen Duffy and Dom Pietremala, but they rely on awful lot on those players. They contribute more than 40% of the shots for the Tar Heels, and have the potential to really explode in a given matchup. Duffy in particular is one of the most difficult dodgers to defend in the nation.
The inverse is true defensively, where Richmond is led by star Zach Vigue in the goal, and a defensive combination of Mitchell Dunham and Hunter Smith that is one of the best in the nation. UNC lost their best defender Peter Thomann right before the season, but have been thriving defensively with an anonymous defence that has proven to have very few weak links.
Statistically, there is very little to separate these teams. Here are the stats, with the caveat that these don’t adjust for strength of schedule, where UNC leads Richmond by 18 spots.
| Team | Scoring Offence | Scoring Defence | Faceoffs |
| UNC | 12 | 10 | 3 |
| Richmond | 8 | 2 | 44 |
Keys to the Game
The faceoffs jump off the page, but Richmond has an interesting story here. Starter Jared Chenoy has been good this year, winning 59% of his draws. Richmond has rotated others through that spot at less effective rates, but in a playoff, we could see Chenoy out there more often.
He will need to battle hard against UNC’s Brady Wambach, a first-team All-America candidate.
UNC – Finishing Plays… On Both Ends
If UNC is going to make a run, they need to both shoot better and get better play in between the pipes. We sometimes focus on other factors, but the combination of shooting and goaltending is arguably the most important part of the game.
Let’s start on offence. The Heels are shooting a reasonable 29% on the season, but have struggled recently. In their last three games, Carolina has shot a combined 19%, losing two of those games. It hasn’t been an issue for the entire season, for example they shot 33% against an elite Army team.
But the issues have crystallized recently. Carolina struggles to score from distance, which ruins their spacing and limits their ability to punish slides. Outside of Dom Pietremala, the Heels lack stretch shooters to open the defence up.
Opportunities like this need to turn into goals.
This is a problem that can be overcome, but will rely on better ball movement. They had far too many unassisted shots that were easily saved against Duke. When Duke slid, UNC didn’t have outlets on the perimeter to pass to, allowing Duke to really pack it in and support the ball. I would expect Richmond to exploit this same tactic, and really force UNC to score from the outside.
On the other end, Michael Gianforcaro carried Carolina in the early going and has still been sharp on the season. But he has struggled in the last three games, with three straight games well below 50% save percentage. He is a veteran who has been through the battles, but the Heels will need him this weekend. Duke scored too many goals from the perimeter.
Richmond – Can You Win Matchups Against Carolina Rope?
The most under-rated part of the UNC team is their SSDM group, who have quietly been one of the best at their position in the nation. Richmond is going to have to win some matchups against this group to have success up front.
I think this is likely one area where the Spiders will feel the step up in competition from their recent opponents, as the athleticism in the ACC particularly is noticeable.
I really like the game of Richmond midfielder Joe Sheridan, who has scored in nine straight games and is an aggressive, downhill dodgers. He has a low center of gravity that makes him a tough cover and High Point had very little success in keeping him out of dangerous scoring areas.
Sheridan gives Richmond its first lead of the game!#OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/OSi9TMALlg
— Richmond Lacrosse (@SpiderMLAX) May 3, 2025
Unassisted goals are oxygen in the playoffs and guys like Sheridan will need to be aggressive and effective on the perimeter of the defence to open up the off-ball action for the Spiders. That’s when guys like Lucas Littlejohn (36 goals) can do their damage.
X Factors
Owen Duffy, Dom Pietremala, Hunter Smith, Mitchell Dunham
In simple terms, I think the outcome of this game will depend heavily on the battle between these four players.
Duffy has been incredible for UNC this year, but has battled injuries late in the year. He has just 2 goals in his last 4 games and his shooting percentage has dropped from 31% to 27% in that time.
He can do a lot of things, but his best is when he is starting in the low corners of the offensive zone, sweeping either through X or cutting back top side. Kind of like this.
Put on the jets kid 💨
— UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) March 29, 2025
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/m4nI4TkoVC
Pietremala is a superstar shooter who keeps the safety off at all times. He took 20 shots two games ago and is ready to let it fly at all times. But he isn’t just a shooter, and is dangerous especially sweeping to his left hand and shooting on the run. Richmond needs to be ready for these sweeps and be ready to support if needed.
Smith is almost guaranteed to guard Duffy. He has played top attackmen well this season, and will need to do it again. He was named the co-defensive player of the year in the conference alongside Levi Verch, who will likely be a first-round PLL pick by the time you read this.
Meanwhile, Dunham is one of my favourite players to watch in the country. The grad transfer from Ontario, he has 37 CT’s this season, one of the best marks in the country. On top of that, he is a classic Canadian defender. Big, tough, mean, and good off-ball. He will do his best to limit Pietremala’s time, space, and confidence.
Whichever duo wins this matchup will likely win the game.
Tune in Saturday to find out.