The University of North Carolina Men’s Lacrosse season opened we saw them with a very high preseason ranking placing 5th in the coaches’ poll, and 7th in the USILA poll. The season kicked off with a solid victory for UNC as the trounced the Air Force Academy 16-8.
The season looked promising Jimmy Bitter and Marcus Holman proving their worth on the field. Marcus’s ability as a senior and ball distributor showed tremendously as he tallied 6 assists in the game.
As the season continued on we found the Heels in a struggle against #13 Massachusetts. The game started off well and continued to go well, until the 4th quarter started, Massachusetts began to mount a comeback and as the game came to a close we saw UNC falling in a bitter defeat 12-11. The Massachusetts’ win can be largely attributed to the outstanding play of their goaltender, Zachery Oliveri who limited Holman and Bitter to a total of 4 goals 1 assist combined.
Carolina next squared off against #15 Fairfield, this one was a nail-biter as Carolina’s season could not take another hit, especially this early on. As the third quarter began Fairfield held a 6-3 lead, do or die time for the Tarheels. Coach Joe Breschi made a controversial goalkeeper change at halftime going for the younger (RS,S) Andrew O’Connell. 5 minutes into the third quarter the spark was not seeming to light, as Carolina was down 7-3. The spark was finally lit by Junior R.G. Keenan at the face off X helping the Heels string together enough goals to take the win 10-9.
Heels to watch:
Jimmy Bitter: 8 goals and 2 assists on the season one of the more dominate leaders on the Heels. This young man is joined by 2 other teammates on the Tewaaraton watch list, one of the most prestigious awards in college lacrosse, he is defiantly proving his worth on the field.
Marcus Holman: With 9 goals and 8 assists on the season, Holman is proving his worth as a senior leader on the team. He is dominating much of the competition in the Tewaaraton watch list.
RG Keenan: His stats do not show in the goals/assists category, his strengths are elsewhere providing the much needed spark at the face off X, as was proven in the Fairfield game when he won 8 of 12 in the second half. His face off mastery is proving to really help the Heels late in close games.
