University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels and Midshipmen Face Off Friday
February 23, 2011 | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 23, 2011
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA MEN'S LACROSSE GAME NOTES
GAME #3
No. 12 North Carolina (1-1) vs. Navy (1-1)
Friday, February 25, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Fetzer Field, Chapel Hill, N.C.
CAROLINA SEEKS BOUNCE BACK WIN VERSUS MIDS
: The University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team will seek to bounce back from a tough loss at Ohio State last Saturday when it hosts traditional foe Navy Friday at 7:30 p.m. Fetzer Field. The game will be webcast live on TarHeelBlue.com via Carolina All-Access and live stats will be available via Gametracker. The Tar Heels enter the game 1-1 after a season-opening win over Robert Morris 14-11 and a loss at Ohio State 13-8. Navy is also 1-1. The Midshipmen beat VMI 14-8 in their opener before falling at Loyola last Saturday 9-8. It will be the annual coaching matchup of a pair of UNC lacrosse alumni. UNC head coach Joe Breschi is a 1990 alumnus and Richie Meade of the Naval Academy graduated from UNC in 1976. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 11 and No. 12, respectively, heading into the game in polls conducted by Nike/Inside Lacrosse (media) and the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (coaches). Navy is unranked this week. Admission to Friday's game will be $5 general admission. General admission tickets can also be purchased at the Ticket Center on TarHeelBlue.com and at the Carmichael Arena ticket office on game day.GALASSO NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Carolina freshman midfielder Nicky Galasso was named the first 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week for the period ending on Monday, February 14. Galasso scored four goals and had one assist in his collegiate debut as the third-ranked Tar Heels held off Robert Morris 14-11 in its season opener. The rookie from West Islip, N.Y., opened the scoring 53 seconds into the match on an unassisted goal and scored on his first three shots. Galasso capped the day with one of the biggest plays of the game after Robert Morris had cut UNC's lead to 12-11 in the fourth quarter. He scored with 2:45 to play to give the Tar Heels a two-goal cushion en route to the eventual 14-11 win. Galasso scored his four goals on six shots on goal and he also had two ground balls.
BITTER CRACKS TOP 10 IN UNC CAREER ASSISTS: Two-time first-team All-America attackman Billy Bitter cracked the Top 10 in career assists at Carolina against Ohio State last Saturday. The senior has three assists this season and 65 for his career. He moved past Bert Fett into 10th place and is just one assist behind Bart Wagner for the ninth spot heading into the match against Navy.
FLANAGAN TAPPED AS A LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS CANDIDATE: Senior defenseman Ryan Flanagan of the University of North Carolina is among 20 NCAA® men's lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field and were selected as candidates February 16 for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in lacrosse. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The 2011 candidate class includes 13 student-athletes with cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or better. Ten are from teams ranked in the Inside Lacrosse preseason top 20.
FOUR TAR HEELS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAS: Four players on the 2011 University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team were named preseason All-Americas by Face-Off Yearbook. Attackman Billy Bitter (Manhasset, N.Y.) was named a first-team All-America while senior defenseman Ryan Flanagan (West Islip, N.Y.) was also accorded first-team status. Junior midfielder Jimmy Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) earned second-team preseason All-America honors and junior defenseman Charlie McComas (Parkton, Md.) was tabbed for the third team.
TRIO OF TAR HEELS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-ACC: Face-Off Yearbook tapped three players as preseason All-ACC Team members -- senior attackman Billy Bitter, senior defenseman Ryan Flanagan and junior midfielder Jimmy Dunster.
TAR HEELS ARE BALANCED ON OFFENSE IN SEASON OPENING WIN: Freshman Nicky Galaso scored four goals in his collegiate men's lacrosse debut as third-ranked North Carolina defeated Robert Morris 14-11 in the season opener for both teams at Fetzer Field February 12. Galasso led a stellar offensive effort by the Tar Heels that saw senior Billy Bitter and sophomore Marcus Holman score three goals each while freshman Mark McNeill scored twice, both of the goals in the fourth quarter of the game as the Tar Heels successfully rode out a rally by the Colonials. Junior Thomas Wood had a goal and three assists and junior Jimmy Dunster also added a goal. UNC outshot the Colonials 43-31 and had a 36-22 edge in ground balls. UNC also won 14 face-off attempts to 11 for RMU. Senior Chris Madalon went the entire way in goal for UNC and made 11 saves in 60 minutes. Madalon made nine of his 11 saves in the first half as the Tar Heels built a 9-6 halftime edge. He also had two key fourth quarter saves as the Tar Heels held off the Colonials. Freshman R.G. Keenan led the Tar Heels with eight ground balls for UNC while senior Ryan Flanagan and Bitter had four grounders apiece.
CAROLINA IS LED BY 10-MAN SENIOR CLASS: While much attention has been showered on UNC's freshman class in 2011, the fact is that this year's senior class is also one of the most talented in the nation. Seven of the 10 seniors on the roster are currently running in UNC's regular 22-man rotation that UNC utilized in the first two matches of the campaign. The senior group includes attackman Billy Bitter, midfielder Chris Hunt, goalkeeper Chris Madalon, midfielder Ed Prevost, defenseman Kevin Piegare, defenseman Ryan Flanagan, midfielder Michael Burns, midfielder Matt Davie, defenseman Milton Lyles and defenseman Emmit Kellar. Lyles will be redshirting in 2011 after surgery to repair an ACL tear last fall. Bitter is a starter on attack while Flanagan and Piegare start on close defense and Madalon in the goal. Burns is UNC's top short stick defensive midfielder while Hunt and Prevost are running on the second and third midfield units, respectively.
MIXTURE OF EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH: North Carolina started the 2011 season with what Coach Joe Breschi referred to as a more athletic team than a year ago but also a team which on average is much less experienced. The Tar Heels graduated an outstanding senior class in 2010 off Carolina's most successful team in 13 seasons. Key seniors on last year's team include attackman Gavin Petracca, midfielders Sean DeLaney and Cryder DiPietro and defensemen Michael Jarvis and Sean Jackson. Carolina has an impressive senior class in 2011 led by players like Billy Bitter, Ryan Flanagan and Michael Burns and seven Tar Heel seniors are currently running in the rotation of 22 players. Breschi also played nine of the 12 freshmen on the 40-man roster in the regular rotation for UNC in the season's first two games. The 12 freshmen on the roster mark the first group of recruits Breschi brought to Chapel Hill after his hiring in the summer of 2008. With the trend in early recruiting, Carolina's stellar senior, junior and sophomore classes were in place before he arrived.
THE SERIES WITH THE MIDSHIPMEN: North Carolina and Navy will be meeting for the 26th time in history on Friday. UNC enjoys a slight edge in the series at 13-12. Carolina has won three of the past four games between the two teams after Navy ran off five successive wins from 2003-07. Carolina has won the past two regular season matchups -- 9-8 at Fetzer Field in 2009 and 11-4 at Annapolis in 2010. The series started in 1975 and Navy won the first four meetings before UNC won six in a row. Navy then went 9-4 against the Tar Heels in the 13 games played between 1997 and 2008.
A RARE NON-CONFERENCE LOSS FOR THE TAR HEELS: UNC's record in non-conference games continues to be one of the best in the nation over the past five seasons but it took a hit with the 13-8 loss at Ohio State last Saturday. The Tar Heels have now won 43 of their past 48 games against non-conference teams dating back to late in the 2006 season. In Joe Breschi's three seasons as head coach, the Tar Heels are 23-2 against non-conference teams.
ONLY SECOND FEBRUARY LOSS SINCE 2004: Carolina's 13-8 loss at Ohio State last Saturday was only the second setback in the month of February for the Tar Heels since a 9-8 loss to Navy on February 28, 2003. UNC is 19-2 in games in the month of February since that loss eight years ago.
HOW THE HEELS LINED UP IN THE FIRST TWO GAMES: UNC has used the same 22-man rotation in the first two games of the regular season. It has looked as follows: Attack: #4, Billy Bitter, Sr.; #2 Thomas Wood, Jr.; #1, Marcus Holman, So.; First Midfield: #34, Nicky Galasso, Fr.; #20, Jimmy Dunster, Jr.; #22, Duncan Hutchins, Fr.; Second Midfield: #5, Chris Hunt, Sr.; #33, Ryan Creighton, Fr.; #43, Mark McNeill, Fr. Third Midfield: #41, Pat Foster, Fr.; #16, Ed Prevost, Sr.; #23, Will Campbell, Fr.; Close Defense: #24, Ryan Flanagan, Jr.; #45, Charlie McComas, So.; #17, Kevin Piegare, Jr.; #31, Jordan Smith, Fr.; Goalkeeper: #11, Chris Madalon, Sr.; Face-Offs: #25, R.G. Keenan, Fr.; #14, Frankie Kelly, Fr. Short Stick Defensive Midfield: #26, Michael Burns, Sr. Long Stick Defensive Midfield: #6, Mark Staines, Jr.; #48, Kieran McDonald, So.
CAROLINA IN THE POLLS: Carolina is currently ranked 12th in the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association coaches poll and 11th in the Inside Lacrosse/Nike media poll. Face-Off Magazine ranked UNC No. 3 in the preseason.
THE CAROLINA CAPTAINS: For the first time in recent memory, the 2011 Carolina team is represented on the field by a pair of senior captains who were elected to those posts unanimously by their peers. Senior midfielder Michael Burns and senior defenseman Ryan Flanagan were elected to those posts in the fall. Ironically neither player was on campus when the vote took place. Burns was studying abroad in England while Flanagan was doing community service with Fields of Growth International in Uganda.
TAR HEELS COMING OFF 13-WIN SEASON: Carolina is coming off one of the most successful seasons in Tar Heel history. Carolina's victory over Delaware in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on May 16, 2010 gave the Tar Heels 13 wins during the 2010 campaign. That was the most wins for a Carolina team since the 1993 squad finished the season 14-2, losing only to Syracuse in the NCAA title game and Virginia in the regular season. The 2010 Tar Heel team finished 13-3 overall. It was one of only five Tar Heel teams in the history of the sport to reach the 13-win plateau, joining the 1982 (14-0), 1989 (13-5), 1991 (16-0) and 1993 (14-2) units.
BRESCHI'S FAST START WITH THE TAR HEELS: After taking over for John Haus in the summer of 2008, UNC head coach Joe Breschi has led the Tar Heels to incredible heights in his first two campaigns as head coach. In fact, Breschi led the Tar Heels to 25 wins in his first two years as head coach. Only Dave Klarmann in 1991-92 led UNC to more wins in his first two seasons as head coach with 28 victories. Ironically, Joe Breschi was one of Klarmann's assistant coaches on those two teams. The 25 wins in 2009 & 2010 can only be topped by two other eras in UNC lacrosse -- 26 wins in 1981 & 1982 -- and a five-year period from 1989-1993 when UNC won a minimum of 12 games each of those five seasons.
UNC'S NCAA TOURNAMENT STREAK: North Carolina has made the NCAA Tournament field for each of the past four years. That is a considerable accomplishment given the fact UNC has only been in the Tournament a total of five times since 1998. The last time UNC appeared in four straight NCAA Tournaments came from 1980-96 when the Tar Heels appeared in 17 straight NCAA Tournament fields.
FIRST UNDEFEATED HOME SEASON IN 17 YEARS: North Carolina finished the 2010 campaign undefeated at home with a 7-0 mark. The last time Carolina had gone undefeated at home was 1993 when the Tar Heels were also 7-0. In Joe Breschi's three years as head coach UNC has lost only two home games, both to Duke. Ironically both of those games were played at Kenan Stadium during the 2009 season. UNC is 14-0 at Fetzer Field since Joe Breschi took over as head coach.
A 2-1 ACC FINISH: North Carolina finished the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season schedule with a record of 2-1 after beating Duke 13-7 and Maryland 9-7 and losing to Virginia 7-5. The last time the Tar Heels won two ACC regular-season games was 2004 when Carolina finished 2-1 and placed second in the league standings. UNC shared last year's regular-season ACC championship with Virginia as both teams finished at 2-1. Prior to 2010, the last time the Tar Heels shared the ACC regular season championship was 2003 when UNC, Maryland and Virginia all tied for first place at 2-1.
TAR HEELS SWEPT ACC REGULAR SEASON AWARDS IN 2010: The University of North Carolina swept the top three ACC awards in men's lacrosse in 2010. Attackman Billy Bitter was named the 2010 ACC Player of the Year, attackman Marcus Holman was named the 2010 ACC Freshman of the Year and head coach Joe Breschi was named the 2010 ACC Coach of the Year. Bitter and Breschi were the first ACC player and coach of the year winners for UNC since 1996 while Holman was UNC's first freshman of the year award winner since 1998. It was the first time in school history the Tar Heels have swept all three awards.
THREE TAR HEELS NAMED ALL-ACC IN 2010: Three players represented North Carolina on the 2010 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team --attackman Billy Bitter, defenseman Ryan Flanagan and goalkeeper Chris Madalon. The three selections were the most for the Tar Heels since three players represented the 2004 team on the All-ACC Team - attackman Jed Prossner, midfielder Bryan Will and defenseman Ronnie Staines.
PLAYING BEFORE A RECORD CROWD: The Tar Heels played before a crowd of 25,710 on April 10, 2010 when they fell to Virginia 7-5 in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. That was both the largest regular-season crowd for any NCAA Division I men's lacrosse game in history and the largest crowd to ever see the Tar Heels play in any game, regular-season or post-season.
LARGEST HOME CROWD IN 19 YEARS: UNC defeated Maryland 9-7 on March 27, 2010 before a crowd of 4,817 fans at Fetzer Field. That was UNC's largest home crowd at Fetzer Field since April 6, 1991 when the Tar Heels defeated Johns Hopkins 11-6 before a crowd of 5,700 fans.
THE ALL-TIME HOME RECORD: With a 7-0 home record in 2010, UNC now has an all-time home mark of 240-113-2 (.679). That record includes games played at Fetzer Field, Kenan Stadium, Henry Stadium, Finley Field and Navy Field. Carolina's nine home wins in 2009 were the most in a season in school history.
UNC PASSES ALL-TIME 400 VICTORY MARK: Since the Tar Heels played their first varsity game against Delaware in 1949, North Carolina has compiled a 410-258-2 record, a winning percentage of .615.
THE BRESCHI LEDGER: Now in his 14th year as a head coach, including the first 11 campaigns at Ohio State where he was 92-63, and three seasons at Carolina where he is 26-10 (.722), head coach Joe Breschi is 118-73 overall (.618).
CAROLINA'S DOUBLE DIGIT SCORING GAMES: UNC has scored at least 10 goals in a game in 20 of its last 25 contests dating back to a 10-9 overtime win against Johns Hopkins on March 28, 2009.
TAR HEEL EMO WAS RANKED FIRST NATIONALLY IN 2010: UNC's extra-man offense unit was the nation's most productive in 2010. Carolina scored 27 goals on 49 extra-man opportunities for a percentage of .551 to lead the nation. Carolina's EMO percentage was the second best in school history. UNC's school record is .586 set in 1985 (41 of 70). Prior to last year, the second best percentage was .479 in 1987 (34 of 71).
CURRENT TAR HEEL CAREER MULTI-POINT, MULTI-GOAL, MULTI-ASSIST GAMES
Billy Bitter -- 20 multi-goal games (1 in 2008; 11 in 2009; 7 in 2010; 1 in 2011); 22 multi-assist games (5 in 2008; 8 in 2009; 8 in 2010, 1 in 2011); 35 multi-point games (7 in 2008; 14 in 2009; 12 in 2010, 2 in 2011).Logan Corey¬ -- 1 multi-assist game (1 in 2009); 1 multi-point game (1 in 2009).
Matt Davie -- 1 multi-goal game (1 in 2010); 1 multi-point game (1 in 2010).
Jimmy Dunster -- 7 multi-goal games (3 in 2009, 4 in 2010); 3 multi-assist games (3 in 2009); 14 multi-point games (7 in 2009; 7 in 2010).
Nicky Galasso -- 2 multi-goal games (2 in 2011); 2 multi-point games (2 in 2011).
Marcus Holman -- 6 multi-goal games (5 in 2010; 1 in 2011); 1 multi-assist game (1 in 2010): 11 multi-point games (9 in 2010; 2 in 2011).
Jeff Muscatello -- 1 multi-assist game (1 in 2010); 1 multi-point game (1 in 2010).
Mark Staines -- 1 multi-point game (1 in 2010).
Thomas Wood -- 12 multi-goal games (11 in 2010; 1 in 2011); 5 multi-assist games (1 in 2009; 3 in 2010; 1 in 2011); 14 multi-point games (1 in 2009; 11 in 2010; 2 in 2011).
UPDATED SINGLE GAME CAREER HIGHS
Billy Bitter -- Goals: 8 vs. UMBC, 5-9-2009; Assists: 4 vs. Denver, 2-14-2009; 4 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010; 4 vs. Robert Morris, 4-17-2010; Points: 9 vs. UMBC, 5-9-2009; Ground Balls: 9 vs. Maryland, 3-21-2009.Michael Burns -- Ground Balls: 9 vs. Duke, 5-22-2010; Face-Offs Won: 15 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Face-Off Percentage: .714 vs. Dartmouth, 3-19-2010; Caused Turnovers: 3 vs. Johns Hopkins, 3-28-2009.
Logan Corey -- Shots: 2 vs. Detroit Mercy, 3-3-2009; Assists: 2 vs. Detroit Mercy, 3-3-2009; Ground Balls: 2 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010; 2 vs. Princeton, 3-16-2010; 2 vs. Dartmouth, 3-19-2010.
Ryan Creighton: Shots: 3 vs. Ohio State, 2-19-2011.
Matt Davie -- Goals: 2 vs. Delaware, 5-16-2010; Points: 2 vs. Delaware, 5-16-2010.
Jimmy Dunster -- Shots: 14 vs. Virginia, 4-10-2010; Goals: 4 v. Duke, 5-22-2010; Assists: 3 vs. Princeton, 3-16-2010; Points: 5 vs. Princeton, 3-16-2010; Ground Balls: 4 vs. UMBC, 5-9-2009.
Ryan Flanagan -- Ground Balls: 6 vs. Notre Dame, 3-8-2009; 6 vs. Virginia, 4-4-2009; 6 vs. Duke, 5-17-2009; 6 vs. Princeton, 3-16-2010. Caused Turnovers: 5 vs. Ohio State, 4-11-2009; 5 vs. Jacksonville, 2-6-2010.
Nicky Galasso -- Shots: 8 v. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Goals: 4 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Points: 5 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Ground Balls: 2 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011.
Marcus Holman -- Shots: 7 vs. Navy, 2-25-2010; Goals: 4 vs. Navy, 2-25-2010; 4 vs. Maryland, 3-27-2010; Assists: 3 vs. Robert Morris, 4-17-2010; Points: 5 vs. Maryland, 3-27-2010; 5 vs. Robert Morris, 4-17-2010; Ground Balls: 3 vs. Bryant, 2-13-2010; 3 vs. Navy, 2-25-2010; 3 vs. Maryland, 3-27-2010; 3 vs. Johns Hopkins, 4-3-2010; 3 vs. Virginia, 4-10-2010.
Chris Hunt -- Ground Balls: 8 vs. Duke, 4-26-2009; Caused Turnovers: 3 vs. Detroit Mercy, 3-3-2009.
Duncan Hutchins --Shots: 3 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011.
R.G. Keenan -- Face-Offs Won: 15 vs. Ohio State, 2-19-2011; Ground Balls: 9 vs. Ohio State, 2-19-2011.
Emmit Kellar -- Ground Balls: 2 vs. Marist, 3-18-2008.
Milton Lyles -- Ground Balls: 5 vs. Virginia, 4-10-2010; Caused Turnovers: 2 vs. Duke, 3-10-2010.
Chris Madalon -- Saves: 14 vs. Virginia, 4-10-2010; Ground Balls: 6 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010; 6 vs. Navy, 2-25-2010.
Greg McBride -- Ground Balls: 4 vs. Jacksonville, 2-6-2010.
Charlie McComas -- Ground Balls: 8 vs. Jacksonville, 2-6-2010; 8 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010; Caused Turnovers: 3 vs. Denver, 2-14-2009; 3 vs. Johns Hopkins, 3-28-2009.
Mark McNeill -- Shots: 3 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Goals: 2 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Points: 3 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Ground Balls: 3 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011.
Jeff Muscatello -- Shots: 2 vs. Navy, 2-25-2010; Assists: 2 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Points: 3 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Ground Balls: 2 vs. Detroit Mercy, 3-3-2009.
Kevin Piegare -- Ground Balls: 2 vs. Jacksonville, 2-6-2010; Caused Turnovers: 2 vs. Bryant, 2-13-2010; 2 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010.
Ed Prevost -- Shots: 3 vs. Dartmouth, 3-19-2010.
Steven Rastivo -- Saves: 8 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Ground Balls: 4 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010.
William Scroggs -- Face-offs Won: 2 vs. Bryant, 2-13-2010; 2 vs. Dartmouth, 3-19-2010.
Mark Staines -- Shots: 2 vs. Ohio State, 4-11-2009; 2 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Points: 2 vs. Jacksonville, 2-6-2010; Ground Balls: 7 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Caused Turnovers: 4 vs. Maryland, 3-21-2009; Face-Offs Won: 7 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; 7 vs. Duke, 5-16-2010.
Cam Wood -- Shots: 3 vs. Bryant, 2-13-2010; 3 vs. Johns Hopkins, 4-3-2010; Ground Balls: 2 vs. Delaware, 5-16-2010.
Thomas Wood -- Shots: 9 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Goals: 5 vs. Duke, 3-10-2010; 5 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Assists: 3 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010; 3 vs. Robert Morris, 2-12-2011; Points: 6 vs. Duke, 3-10-2010; 6 vs. Ohio State, 5-8-2010; Ground Balls: 5 vs. Lehigh, 2-20-2010.
