North Carolina
Fairfield
Men's Lacrosse Team Downs Fairfield, 12-11
February 20, 2000 | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 20, 2000
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Tenth-ranked North Carolina built a four-goal lead in the second half, but in the end had to hold off a spirit charge by 27th-ranked Fairfield to record a 12-11 men's lacrosse victory at Fetzer Field on Sunday afternoon before 587 fans. The game was the 2000 season opener for both teams.
UNC featured a balanced scoring attack that had nine different goal scorers. That was just enough to overcome the Stags' three-man effort of Spencer Steele (5), Mark Beckwith (3) and Rob Scipioni (2), which accounted for 10 of Fairfield's 11 goals. Junior attackman Jeff Sonke led the Tar Heels with three goals and two assists, while senior attackman Chase Martin had two goals and one assist.
Steele had three goals in the first half as the Stags built a 5-3. But goals by freshman midfielder Kyle Bell and sophomore midfielder Joel Miller in the last minute of the first half tied the game at intermission 5-5.
The Tar Heels came out strong in the third quarter and ran off the first four goals of the second half. Four different players scored goals in the run--sophomore midfielder Pat Jackson, freshman midfielder Austin Garrison, Martin and senior attackman Matt Crofton. But Steele's fourth goal of the game, coming off an unsettled situation in which the Tar Heels failed to claim a ground ball in their defensive end, energized the Stags. Beckwith scored just 18 seconds after Steele and Fairfield had pulled within 9-7 with 1:39 to play in the third quarter.
Goals by freshman attackman Steven Will and Sonke sandwiched around a Beckwith goal for Fairfield gave the Heels a 10-7 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining in the game. But goals by Scipioni and Brian McLane cut the lead to one with 5:42 to go.
Junior midfielder Mac Hammer restored the Tar Heels to a two-goal lead with 1:11 left in the game, but Steele scored his fifth goal with 36 seconds left to pull the Stags back within one goal. Fairfield won the ensuing faceoff but a save by UNC goalkeeper Kris Blindenbacher stopped the final thrust by the Stags and Carolina cleared the ball and killed the remaining time left on the clock.
The Tar Heels will return to action again next Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they play host to the 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs at Fetzer Field.
