Four minutes were added to the clock after the fourth period ended in an 11-11 deadlock.
It all came down to who would score the first goal in overtime.
Just over 30 seconds in, the University of North Carolina’s William Perry shot the ball into the back of the net, scoring his fourth goal of the game for the Tar Heels’ victory.
The Lehigh men’s lacrosse team (2-1) registered its first loss of the season to No. 14 UNC (3-0) in a 12-11 overtime heartbreaker Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
Junior attackman Andrew Pettit led Lehigh in scoring with four points, followed by junior attackmen Tristan Rai with three and Lucas Spence with two. Sophomore midfielder Andrew Eichelberger and junior midfielder Alex Tumminello each tacked up a point.
Lehigh took 35 shots and 19 shots on goal for the game.
Freshman goalie James Spence had 11 saves and was assisted by junior defender Craig Chick who made it challenging for the Tar Heels to break through the Mountain Hawks’ defensive unit.
Even in the faceoff position, sophomore Conor Gaffney was challenged. Gaffney won 32-of-48 faceoff attempts during the team’s first two games, dominating his competition. Against the Tar Heels, he scooped up 11 of the 26.
Both squads came out hot offensively, and UNC led with a one-point advantage entering the half, 8-7.
Lucas Spence was the first to score during the second half, tying up the game 8-8 with just under six minutes left on the clock in the third period.
Every time Lehigh tied up the game, UNC responded and took back the lead.
The Mountain Hawks went on what could’ve been a game-clinching run during the last period, but the Tar Heels answered with just over two minutes left on the clock to tie the contest in an 11-11 draw.
Every second of the evenly-matched game proved to be a dogfight, but UNC maintained its momentum during overtime to take home the 12-11 win over Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks return home Saturday to open Patriot League league with opponent Holy Cross.
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