GoHeels Exclusive: Staying Strong & Being Resilient

by Pat James, GoHeels.com

There might come a time, years from now, when Joe Breschi looks back on Saturday's 9-8 win over St. John's as more of a personal milestone.

William Perry's goal with 6.8 seconds left delivered Breschi his 200th career win. He's the 32nd NCAA Division I men's lacrosse coach to reach that mark. Only nine are active.

But in the immediate aftermath of the victory, which improved the Tar Heels to 6-0 on the season, Breschi spoke less about his individual accomplishment and more about how the win fits within the framework of this season.

"It's a neat achievement that one day, when I'm old and gray, I'll think back on and say, 'Wow, what a run,'" he said. "But right now, it's just about the kids in the locker room and them staying strong and being resilient through tough times and continuing to battle."

Those traits have defined some of Breschi's best teams. And through the first month of this season, UNC has exhibited the sort of toughness needed come conference and postseason play.

Saturday's win marked the Tar Heels' third by one goal. Two of those came in overtime. Their impressive play in close games was also evident in a two-goal victory at Johns Hopkins.

Entering this season, UNC was 12-12 in games decided by two goals or fewer since the 2014 campaign. Last season's 8-8 squad went 1-4 in such games. The 2016 national championship team was 4-1, with two of those wins coming in the NCAA Tournament.

"Lacrosse is a game of runs, and with a game of runs, you've just gotta keep a level head," said Chris Cloutier, who extended his scoring streak to 26 games, the third longest streak in program history, with one goal Saturday.

"That was actually our issue in the past couple of years whenever a team got up on us. We'd get deflated and we'd let them go on a run that would be too hard to come back from. This year, we've been able to battle through those."

And St. John's mounted another Saturday.

After entering halftime with a 7-5 lead, the Tar Heels seized a three-goal edge, matching their largest of the game, when Timmy Kelly scored about a minute into the third period. But the Red Storm scored nine seconds later, sparking a 3-0 run that helped it tie the game at 8.

Through Wednesday, UNC ranked sixth nationally in scoring offense. Yet the Tar Heels struggled most of Saturday, specifically in the second half, against St. John's goalkeeper Matt Hanley, who made 15 saves.

Still, UNC stayed composed. And after allowing 46 goals in the first four games, the defense continued its recent progression.

The Tar Heels limited the Red Storm to just 28 shots, the fewest by any opponent this season. Most importantly, the defense, led by seniors Ryan Macri, Kyle Mathie and William McBride, held St. John's scoreless on its final three possessions. The last of those concluded with a missed shot that UNC backed up with about 30 seconds left.

"There are so many things that were key, but the seniors got it done," Breschi said. "Those guys have been doing it all year. They just really battled. It's their team. You're only as good as your top dogs, those seniors. And although it was a tough, grind-it-out game … I felt like we were always in it and it was just a matter of time."

After the final defensive stop, Breschi called a timeout with 19 seconds left. Alex Trippi received the ball out of the stoppage, attacked the middle of the Red Storm defense and found Perry open on the left side of the cage.

"I just knew I needed to get a shot off," Perry said. "There was not enough time left, and we weren't really going to get another opportunity to shoot. The goalie played an incredible game, and the whole time he was playing really well low. So I knew I had to stick it high."

He cocked his wrist and fired. And from a near impossible angle, the ball blistered past Hanley's left shoulder and into the upper-right corner of the net.

The goal sent the Tar Heels into a frenzy. Perry's game winner, his second of the season, secured UNC's first 6-0 start since 2015. That achievement added even more meaning to a win that players already knew the significance of for Breschi.

"Before we came out here, we made it our goal as a group to get this for him," Cloutier said. "He's been so good to us, and no one deserves it more. I hope he's got many more to come; I know he does. He's amazing and I'm glad we won it for him."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Chris Cloutier

Timmy Kelly

Ryan Macri

Kyle Mathie

William McBride

William Perry

Alex Trippi

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