University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Massachusetts
No. 8 UNC Lacrosse Team Opens Campaign With 12-7 Win Over No. 7 UMass
February 28, 2004 | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 28, 2004
BALTIMORE, MD. - Junior goalkeeper Paul Spellman (Cockeysville, Md.) made 18 saves and the starting attack trio of Jed Prossner, Mike McCall and Scott Falatach each recorded a hat trick as the No. 8 North Carolina men's lacrosse team opened its 2004 season with a 12-7 victory over No. 7 Massachusetts in a match played at Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore, Md. The game was also the season opener for the Minutemen.
UNC's stout defense, led by Spellman's 18 saves, equalling his second highest total in a game in his Carolina career, allowed the Minutemen only four goals in the first three quarters as the Tar Heels scored early and steadily pulled away for the victory. Prossner, a junior from Easton Md., McCall, a junior from Yorktown, N.Y., and Falatach, a sophomore from Stevensville, Md., all had three goals and an assist in the match. Junior midfielder Bryant Will added three assists for the Tar Heels while junior midfielder Lance Zimmerman had a goal and an assist and sophomore attackman Ryan Blair had a goal and two assists.
Carolina sped to an early 3-0 as McCall provided the early offensive fireworks for Coach John Haus' team. McCall took a feed from McCall and scored 2:02 into the first quarter and just over two minutes after that McCall provided the assist on Blair's extra-man goal to make it 2-0. With 6:44 to play in the first quarter, Will again provided McCall with an assist to make it 3-0.
After UMass' Neil Lundberg scored the first of his two goals to cut the lead to 3-1, McCall made it 4-1, with an assist by Blair, 19 seconds into the second quarter. Massachusetts wrapped goals by Brett Garber and Ryan Connolly around the first of Falatach's three goals during the remainder of the first half and Carolina went to the locker room ahead by 5-3.
The Tar Heels put the game away by scoring the first three goals of the third quarter. Neither team scored in the period for close to 10 minutes before Falatach scored an unassisted goal to make the score 6-3. With 2:35 left in the third quarter, Lance Zimmerman recorded UNC's second extra-man goal of the match, assisted by Blair to make the score 7-3. Just 14 seconds after that goal the Tar Heels extended their lead to five goals as Prossner fed Falatach for his third goal of the game.
UMass pulled within four goals on a tally by Chris Doyle with 13.1 seconds left in the third quarter but the Tar Heels were not deterred as Prossner took over in the fourth quarter. He scored 44 seconds into the period off an assist by Zimmerman and when sophomore midfielder Andrew McElduff scored off an assist by Falatach with 13:24 to play, the Tar Heels had their biggest lead of the day at six goals.
Prossner would score two more goals for UNC in the fourth quarter, both unassisted, while UMass kept it close with three fourth quarter goals of its own.
Carolina will return to play next Friday for the Tar Heels' home opener against No. 18 Navy (1-1) at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
Qtr. Team Time Score Goal (Assist)
1 UNC 12:58 UNC 1-0 Mike McCall (Bryant Will)
1 UNC 10:50 UNC 2-0 Ryan Blair (Mike McCall) EMG
1 UNC 6:44 UNC 3-0 Mike McCall (Bryant Will)
1 UMass 4:14 UNC 3-1 Neil Lundberg
2 UNC 14:41 UNC 4-1 Mike McCall (Ryan Blair)
2 UMass 10:03 UNC 4-2 Brett Garber
2 UNC 6:04 UNC 5-2 Scott Falatach (Bryant Will)
2 UMass 4:36 UNC 5-3 Ryan Connolly (Andrew Recchione)
3 UNC 5:25 UNC 6-3 Scott Falatach
3 UNC 2:35 UNC 7-3 Lance Zimmerman (Ryan Blair) EMG
3 UNC 2:21 UNC 8-3 Scott Falatach (Jed Prossner)
3 UMass 0:13.1 UNC 8-4 Chris Doyle
4 UNC 14:14 UNC 9-4 Jed Prossner (Lance Zimmerman)
4 UNC 13:24 UNC 10-4 Andrew McElduff (Scott Falatach)
4 UMass 12:31 UNC 10-5 Neil Lundberg
4 UNC 11:35 UNC 11-5 Jed Prossner
4 UMass 11:01 UNC 11-6 Gene Tundo
4 UNC 9:47 UNC 12-6 Jed Prossner
4 UMass 0:42.6 UNC 12-7 Jeff Zywicki (Steven Byrnes)
EMG= Extra Man Goal
SCORING 1 2 3 4 TOTAL
UMass 1 2 1 3 7
North Carolina 3 2 3 4 12
INDIVIDUAL SCORING SUMMARY
Goals Scored
UMass- Neil Lundberg 2, Brett Garber, Ryan Connolly, Chris Doyle, Gene Tundo, Jeff Zywicki
North Carolina- Scott Falatach 3, Jed Prossner 3, Mike McCall 3, Lance Zimmerman, Ryan Blair, Andrew McElduff
Assists
UMass- Andrew Recchione, Steven Byrnes
North Carolina- Bryant Will 3, Jed Prossner, Ryan Blair 2, Lance Zimmerman, Scott Falatach, Mike McCall
Shots: UMass 38, UNC 33
Saves: Bill Schell (UMass) 12, Paul Spellman (UNC ) 18
Ground Balls: UMass 26, UNC 29
Faceoffs: UMass 7, UNC 13
Penalties: UMass 7-5 minutes, UNC 6-4.5 minutes
EMO: UMass 0 for 6, UNC 4 for 7
