Triangle Sports Roundup – NHL, NCAA LAX, PGA Tour, NASL, NWSL updates

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – With the summer months upon us, the local sports landscape was peppered with much for many in the Triangle to keep pace with.

NHL: Conference Finals underway

In Western Conference Final play, the Anaheim Ducks evened their series 1-1 with the Nashville Predators following a 5-3 win on Sunday.

In the Eastern Conference Final, the Pittsburgh Penguins will try to do the same against the Ottawa Senators on Monday, currently trailing in the series 1-0 following a 2-1 Sens overtime victory on Saturday.

Notes (via NHL Morning Skate): The Ducks tied the game twice in the second period before Nick Ritchie scored the game-winning goal with 2:53 remaining in the middle frame to help Anaheim even the Western Conference Final at 1-1…The win marked the 29th comeback victory of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs (71 GP, 40.8%) and 14th multi-goal comeback win this postseason (19.7%)…The Ducks have staged four of the multi-goal comeback wins this postseason, marking the sixth time in NHL history that a team has earned at least four such victories in a single postseason. The other instances: the Canadiens in 1973 and 1979 (4 in each), the Blues in 1986 (4), the Flyers in 1987 (5) and the Kings in 2014 (4).

NCAA: Men’s lacrosse playoffs underway

The defending NCAA-champion and 10th-ranked and unseeded North Carolina Tar Heels were ousted from the NCAA Tournament following a 15-12 loss to the fourth-seeded Albany Great Danes on Saturday.

With the 2017 ACC Tournament title to their credit, the Tar Heels ended their season with an 8-8 record overall.

The sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils (13-4), having entered the postseason unseeded as well, dominated the sixth-seeded Johns Hopkins Blue Jays by a 19-6 margin on Saturday.

The Blue Devils prepare to face the third-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the NCAA quarterfinals on Saturday.

NCAA: UNC women’s lacrosse dominates UVA 23-12 in NCAA second round

The second-seeded and defending-champion UNC Tar Heels defeated unseeded Virginia 23-12 in NCAA Tournament second-round play at Fetzer Field on Sunday.

UNC’s 23 goals were the most it had scored in any of its 46 NCAA Tournament games, eclipsing the previous record of 22 set against UMBC in 2002.

The Tar Heels set a season high for goals, besting the 21 they scored against Virginia during the regular season.

North Carolina improved to 21-2 all-time at home in NCAA Tournament games, and advanced to host Navy in next Saturday’s NCAA quarterfinal round, seeking to extend its current 15-game second-round win streak.

Web.com Tour: Rex Hospital Open ready to tee off for 30th year

UNC REX Healthcare reached a new agreement with the PGA TOUR to remain the title sponsor of the REX Hospital Open for another five years, and also extended its agreement with McConnell Golf to keep TPC Wakefield Plantation as the event’s host site.

This year’s tournament will mark the 30th year of REX hosting a professional golf tournament for charity.

The Triangle’s premier professional golf event and a must-see stop on the Web.com Tour will return to May 29 through June 4, 2017.

NASL: North Carolina FC tops Jacksonville

North Carolina FC posted a dominant 3-1 win over the previously undefeated Jacksonville Armada at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday.

The win gave NCFC two victories in its last three matches and moved the club to second place in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with 11 points.

James Marcelin scored his first goal of the 2017 season with a powerful shot in the 27th minute, while Lance Laing became the team’s leading goal scorer after adding his third and fourth goals of the season.

NWSL: First-place NC Courage suffer first loss

The North Carolina Courage lost for the first time this season to the Orlando Pride in a 3-1 fixture at Orlando City Stadium on Sunday.

Even with the shortfall, the Courage remain in first place with 12 points heading in to Week 6 of the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season, and next prepare to host the Chicago Red Stars at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on Sunday.