University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Seek To Tame Tigers On ESPNU Friday Night
March 10, 2011 | Men's Lacrosse
March 10, 2011
CAROLINA LOOKS TO EXTEND WIN STREAK VERSUS TIGERS: The University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team will seek to build upon the momentum of its three-game winning streak when it travels to seventh-ranked Princeton to meet the host Tigers on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be played at the Class of 1952 Stadium on the Princeton campus. The game will be the first of eight nationally-televised contests for UNC in 2011. Friday's game will be shown live on ESPNU with Rob Simmelkjaer doing the play-by-play and Matt Ward providing the color commentary. The Tar Heels enter the game ranked No. 15 in the USILA coaches poll and No. 10 in the Inside Lacrosse Nike media poll. Princeton is ranked No. 7 in both polls this week. The Tar Heels have already played five games this season compared to Princeton's two outings. UNC is 4-1 and sporting a three-game winning streak after a season-opening win over Robert Morris 14-11, a loss at Ohio State 13-8, a come-from-behind win over Navy 10-8, a 13-9 victory over UMBC and a decisive 12-6 win over #9 Penn on Tuesday of this week. Princeton is 1-1 on the campaign, having played its first two games on the road. The Tigers lost their season opener at Hofstra 11-9 before bouncing back to drub previously unbeaten Johns Hopkins last Saturday by an 8-3 score in Baltimore.
THE LAST TIME OUT FOR THE HEELS: Thomas Wood scored three first quarter goals to power North Carolina to a 6-1 lead after the first 15 minutes as the 15th-ranked Tar Heels went on to beat No. 9 Pennsylvania 12-6 at Fezter Field on March 8, handing the Quakers their first loss of the season. UNC won its third straight game to improve to 4-1 as Carolina won its 17th straight match at Fetzer Field dating back to the 2009 season opener. Pennsylvania, now 3-1, had allowed only 15 goals this season and no more than six in a game. But by the end of the first quarter the Tar Heels had matched that total, taking a 6-1 lead. From that point on, UNC led by at least four goals through the remainder of the match. Four times the Quakers pulled within four goals but UNC scored quickly to put separation between it and Penn each time.
CONSISTENT SCORING PUNCH DRIVES UNC OFFENSE: North Carolina's top four scorers -- Nicky Galasso, Billy Bitter, Marcus Holman and Thomas Wood -- have all totaled at least one point in each of UNC's first five games this season with Bitter and Galasso both recording at least two points in every match. Freshman Galasso, who has split time at attack and midfield, had five points game against Robert Morris and UMBC and three each in UNC's other three games. Bitter has been equally consistent with a trio of three-point outings and a season-high four points versus Robert Morris. He also has 19 ground balls, the most for a Tar Heel other than face-off man R.G. Keenan. Holman and Wood have four multi-point games each. They combined for six goals in UNC's 12-6 win over Penn on March 8.
- Fast Start Spurs #15 Tar Heels Past #9 Penn
- Photo Gallery
- Photo Gallery 2
- Box Score
- Read About UNC-Duke Game Promotions for March 17
- Download Protect Our Turf Promotional Flyer
- Purchase UNC Lacrosse Tickets for Duke Match March 17
- View Men's Lacrosse Online Yearbook
- Follow UNC Men's Lacrosse on Twitter
