UNC Men's Lacrosse Sweeps High Point and Iona

Dominant offensive performances and contributions from young players highlight the weekend

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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The UNC men's lacrosse team had a successful weekend, defeating High Point 20-9 and Iona 23-7. Redshirt junior attackman Dominic Pietramala had a standout performance, scoring seven goals against High Point. The team also saw contributions from younger players, including freshman goalkeeper Josh Marcus and several first-year goal scorers. Head coach Joe Breschi was pleased with the team's focus and energy, noting that it will be crucial as they prepare to face their first ranked opponent, No. 13 Johns Hopkins, later this week.

Why it matters

This weekend's sweep showcases the depth and versatility of the UNC men's lacrosse team as they look to build momentum heading into a challenging schedule that includes eight ranked matchups. The performance of younger players like Marcus and the offensive outbursts from veterans like Pietramala demonstrate the team's ability to win in different ways, which will be key to their success this season.

The details

In the 20-9 win over High Point, Pietramala scored seven goals, beating his previous single-game career high. He followed that up with two assists in the 23-7 victory over Iona. Overall, 20 different UNC players scored at least one goal over the weekend. Freshman goalkeeper Josh Marcus had a mixed performance, putting up a .200 save percentage against Iona after strong showings in the team's first two games. Head coach Joe Breschi was pleased with the team's focus and energy, noting that it will be crucial as they prepare to face their first ranked opponent, No. 13 Johns Hopkins, later this week.

  • On Friday, February 17, UNC defeated High Point 20-9.
  • On Sunday, February 19, UNC defeated Iona 23-7.

The players

Dominic Pietramala

A redshirt junior attackman who had a standout performance, scoring seven goals against High Point and adding two assists against Iona.

Joe Breschi

The head coach of the UNC men's lacrosse team, who was pleased with the team's focus and energy over the weekend as they prepare to face their first ranked opponent.

Josh Marcus

The freshman goalkeeper who has started all three of UNC's games this season, putting up a .200 save percentage against Iona after stronger performances in the team's first two games.

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What they’re saying

“It's just nice to see, we're scoring and winning games in different ways. But for him not to have a great Jacksonville shooting outing, and to parlay that into seven goals and eight points in the day was awesome.”

— Joe Breschi, Head Coach (dailytarheel.com)

“We got Penn and Princeton, two weeks from now, and that type of energy against top 10 teams is needed.”

— Joe Breschi, Head Coach (dailytarheel.com)

“I'm not saying we don't have experience in a lot of areas, but this is so good for Gary Merrill to score his first career goals. And, you know, [Anthony] Raio to score and also [Luke] Bair to score again. Caswell Friedman played a ton, and Jermaine Anderson got his first reps.”

— Joe Breschi, Head Coach (dailytarheel.com)

What’s next

The Tar Heels will face their first ranked opponent of the season, No. 13 Johns Hopkins, on Friday, February 24.

The takeaway

This weekend's dominant performances and contributions from younger players demonstrate the depth and versatility of the UNC men's lacrosse team as they prepare to face a challenging schedule that includes eight ranked matchups. The team's focus and energy will be crucial as they look to continue their success against top-tier opponents.