April 19, 2025 – Dorrance Field, Chapel Hill, NC
Final: Notre Dame 12, North Carolina 6
What started as a nightmare turned into a masterpiece.
For nearly 30 minutes, Notre Dame couldn’t buy a goal. Their offense looked lifeless. Down 4-0 and staring at a potential late-season disaster, the Fighting Irish instead roared to life, scoring 12 of the next 14 goals to silence No. 5 North Carolina and walk out of Chapel Hill with a defining 12-6 win.
The defending champs, ranked No. 9 heading into the matchup, made their case to stay in the title conversation — and then some.
A Tale of Two Halves
Notre Dame went scoreless for the first 29 minutes and 7 seconds. In that stretch, the Irish had zero shots on goal in the first quarter and only three in the second. Meanwhile, UNC built a 4-0 lead behind goals from James Matan, Brevin Wilson, Ty English, and Mason Szewczyk.
But the tide turned right before halftime. Chris Kavanagh — the catalyst for so many of ND’s best moments — took advantage of a defensive miscommunication, stepping into space and ripping one to make it 4-1 at the break.
Then came the avalanche.
Jake Taylor opened the second-half scoring with a tough, composed finish. Dominic Pietramala tried to answer, but Kavanagh responded just 11 seconds later, following a sequence that began with a gritty ground ball by Greg Campisi and slick passing from Will Donovan and Devon McLane.
Jalen Seymour, whose role has grown late in the season, added his second-straight multi-goal game and tied the score at 5. Moments later, Kavanagh dove through contact to finish and gave the Irish their first lead.
Kavanagh Magic, Maheras Dagger, Faison Flair
From there, the wheels fell off for the Tar Heels. A brief response from Ryan Levy gave UNC one last glimmer, but the Irish turned up the intensity.
Kavanagh dazzled with a highlight-reel goal — a pump fake, a toe drag, and a falling, flipping finish that felt like a gut punch.
Will Maheras added another just 44 seconds later, putting the game firmly in Irish control.
The fourth quarter was pure dominance. Jordan Faison’s question mark dodge from behind the cage broke the Heels’ defensive shape. Matt Jeffery sprinted out of the box to score in transition. Seymour ripped his second. And Ben Ramsey’s coast-to-coast finish made it eight unanswered Irish goals. Devon McLane capped it off, sealing the Irish’s fifth-straight win over UNC — all by six goals or more.
Lockdown D and Statement Win
Notre Dame’s defense, led by Shawn Lyght and Nate Schwitzenberg, neutralized UNC’s star duo of Owen Duffy and Pietramala. The Heels managed just two goals in the final 45:30 — their lowest scoring output of the season.
Will Donovan was a force all over the field with three caused turnovers and six groundballs, anchoring a defensive unit that completely flipped the game’s momentum.
What’s Next:
- Notre Dame (7-3, 3-1 ACC): Hosts Penn in their regular season finale.
- North Carolina (9-3, 2-1 ACC): Travels to Syracuse looking to rebound.
Bottom Line: From scoreless to sensational, Notre Dame looked every bit like a team built for May.
