GoHeels Exclusive: Men's Lacrosse Preview

by Pat James, GoHeels.com

College teams across the country deal with the departures of graduating seniors each year.

But in his 10th season as the head coach of the North Carolina men's lacrosse team, Joe Breschi will be looking to help the Tar Heels overcome the loss of perhaps their deepest senior class in his tenure.

Gone are defenseman Austin Pifani and defensive midfielder Tate Jozokos, anchors of UNC's back line. Brian Balkam and Stephen Kelly also provided steadiness in two key spots, goalkeeper and face-off X, respectively. Up front, attackman Luke Goldstock proved to be one of the game's best scorers over the last four years, finishing fifth in school history with 120 career goals.

Overall, nine of the Tar Heels' 10 seniors played considerable minutes last season. But now, they'll try to replace them, a group that was critical to winning the 2016 NCAA championship and last year's ACC Tournament title.

"You hope that you've groomed the younger guys to step in and take on bigger roles," Breschi said. "And although we can't teach experience, you hope you've readied them enough to step in. Honestly, they only gain experience by going out there and performing. So we have great faith in the coaching staff for preparing these guys, and we'll continue to grow throughout the season."

That growing process began in the fall and has continued up until now. And it will advance another step when UNC, ranked No. 9 in the Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media poll, opens the 2018 season against Lafayette at noon Saturday inside Kenan Stadium.

Here are five things to know about the team entering the season:

Strong leadership
Despite the loss of last year's senior class, the Tar Heels return 11 players who are now seniors and have been influential over the last two seasons.

Among them are team captains Chris Cloutier, Joe Kenna, Ryan Macri, Kyle Mathie and William McBride. Macri, a redshirt senior defenseman, is one of eight players in program history to serve as a team captain in back-to-back years.

"They've really put their arms around the younger guys and built that sense of brotherhood within the program," Breschi said. "I think it's been great and it's been fun to watch. You never know, leadership year to year can be different. But this group has been sensational so far."

Cloutier's consistency
From a production standpoint, perhaps no player is more crucial than Cloutier.

Cloutier, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 NCAA Tournament and the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 ACC Tournament, returns after leading UNC with 50 points last season. He's scored a goal in 20 straight games, dating back to May 14, 2016.

"If any of the young guys can take something from him, it's the fact that he really loves the game and he never gets rattled in big moments," Breschi said. "He just plays his game and allows the game to come to him. He's not a guy who forces things, and he keeps the other guys involved. From a leadership standpoint, that's what's exciting to see from a two-time MVP."

Forming a 1-2 punch
Although he won just 181 face-offs last season, his fewest since his freshman year, Kelly finished his four-year career ranked second in UNC history with 718 face-offs won.

With him graduating, senior Riley Graham and junior Charles Kelly will form a two-man face-off team. The Tar Heels won 209 of 401 face-offs (52.1 percent) as a team last season. In two scrimmages, Breschi said Graham and Charles Kelly maintained about that same rate of success.

"They're both unique in their styles and approaches, but they're both go-getters, they're grinders," Breschi said. "And I think that's what's kind of cool about how they've approached things. They've really worked at their craft and have prepared very well for what they're going to see."

A stiff goalkeeper competition
After redshirting in 2014, Balkam started 40 of the 42 games he played in over his final three seasons, registering a 24-14 record and 331 saves. His departure initiated a four-man goalkeeper competition between Jack Pezzulla, Luke Millican, Alex Bassil and Patrick Sasser.

"I think it's the deepest goalie situation we've had because I think all four of them at times have shined," Breschi said. "What we're looking for is just consistency in practice to give us that confidence going into games. But I think they all are capable."

Breschi said Pezzulla, a sophomore, and Millican, a freshman, have excelled at working off each other. In the team's October scrimmage against Ohio State, Millican played the entire game due to injuries to other players and made 15 saves with 10 goals against.

Because of UNC's depth at the position, Breschi said the team could potentially employ a goalkeeper rotation, at least early on.

"I haven't been opposed to it until somebody consistently takes the lead," he said. "If somebody goes in and we're planning on being rotational and somebody is hot, we'll keep him in because that's what it's all about."

A challenging schedule
The Tar Heels will once again face a tough nonconference schedule before finishing the regular season with four successive ACC games

Seven of UNC's 14 games will be against teams ranked in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll. It will also face two teams receiving votes in the poll. Among the schedule's highlights are a road game at Denver, a 2017 NCAA semifinalist, and a neutral-site matchup against defending NCAA champion Maryland in the Pacific Coast Lax Shootout.

Breschi said a difficult opening slate will hopefully allow the team to build a strong foundation and help players define their roles.

"If you're in those tough games," he said, "the challenges of dealing with several different looks – whether it's zones, 10-man rides or different types of clears, when we see it, we'll be able to react to it come ACC time."

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Brian Balkam

Alex Bassil

Chris Cloutier

Luke Goldstock

Riley Graham

Tate Jozokos

Charles Kelly

Stephen Kelly

Joe Kenna

Ryan Macri

Kyle Mathie

William McBride

Luke Millican

Jack Pezzulla

Austin Pifani

Patrick Sasser

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