University of North Carolina Athletics
#2 Carolina Plays Host To Jaspers Sunday
February 15, 2014 | Men's Lacrosse
Carolina Hosts Home Opener Sunday Versus Manhattan
2014 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA MEN'S LACROSSE GAME NOTES
Game 2
#2/#3 North Carolina (1-0) vs. Manhattan College (0-1)
Sunday, February 16, 2014
12 Noon
Navy Field Turf Stadium
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Live Stats: GoHeels.com
Follow The Tar Heels On Twitter: UNCTarHeelLax
2014 UNC Lacrosse Media Guide: Yearbook
Buy Season Tickets: GoHeels Ticket Center
The Coaches
North Carolina: Joe Breschi, North Carolina '90; 6th year at UNC, 60-25; 17th year overall, 152-88
Furman: Steve Manitta, Nyack '06; 2nd year at Manhattan, 4-12; 5th year overall, 26-32
TAR HEELS HOST HOME OPENER SUNDAY: The #2/#3 North Carolina men's lacrosse team plays host to its home opener this coming Sunday when it plays Manhattan College in Chapel Hill. Game time is 12 noon.
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Fetzer Field but was pushed back a day after a major winter storm barged its way through North Carolina this past Wednesday, closing the University for two and a half days.
Sunday's game will be played at the Navy Field Turf Facility at UNC. This is Carolina's normal practice field and while no permanent seating is located at Navy Field, there is plenty of standing room for fans.
For fans of Carolina lacrosse who cannot be there in person, please follow along with live stats at GoHeels.com.
TAR HEELS LOOK FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT WIN IN HOME OPENER: Carolina has won its past seven home-opening games. That streak dates back to February 24, 2007 when the Tar Heels beat Denver at Fetzer Field 11-8. Carolina's last loss in a home opener came on March 4, 2006 when Navy routed the Tar Heels 11-3 at Fetzer Field.
BRESCHI'S IMPRESSIONS ON SEASON OPENER: Tar Heel head coach Joe Breschi was very pleased with UNC's opening win over Furman last Sunday in Greenville, S.C.
Breschi cited as team strengths in the 19-3 win over the Paladins, the Tar Heels' unselfishness, willingness to share the ball and the intensity and workmanlike way the squad played for a full 60 minutes.
BALANCED SCORING VERSUS THE PALADINS: One of the most noticeable things in the box score in UNC's 19-3 win over Furman last Sunday was the balanced nature of the scoring. The Tar Heels had 14 different players score goals in the game. Junior attackman Joey Sankey led the Tar Heels with three goals and the other multiple goal scorers with two each were senior midfielder T.J. Kemp, sophomore attackman Spencer Parks and sophomore midfielder Brent Armstrong.
Carolina's leading scorer points wise against the Paladins was sophomore attackman Patrick Kelly who had a career-high four points. Kelly scored a goal and led the Tar Heels with three assists. Those were the first three assists of Kelly's career.
A quartet of freshmen scored their first career goals against the Paladins - attackman Luke Goldstock and midfielders Michael Tagliaferri, Shane Simpson and Peyton Klawinski.
ANOTHER SEASON OPENING WIN: Carolina's victory over Furman last Sunday was the 16th in a row for the Tar Heels in a season opener. UNC has won every season opener since the 1999 season. Carolina's last loss in a season opener came on February 22, 1988 when the Tar Heels fell to Butler 13-12.
ANOTHER HAT TRICK FOR JOEY: Joey Sankey's hat trick against Furman in the season opener was the ninth of the junior attackman's career.
KUDOS TO MARCUS: The Tar Heel lacrosse program received great news earlier this month when Marcus Holman was named to the U.S. National Team that will play this summer in the 2014 World Lacrosse Games in Denver, Colo. Holman is one of 30 U.S. players named to the team and one of six attackmen chosen. The U.S. National Team is being coached this year by Furman head mentor Richie Meade.
THE POLLS: UNC is ranked No. 2 in the preseason USILA coaches poll and No. 3 in the preseason media poll from Inside Lacrosse. The first regular season polls of the 2014 season will be released this coming Monday.
DEFENSE DOES ITS JOB: Carolina limited Furman to three goals in the Tar Heels' season-opening victory over the Paladins last Sunday. That was the fewest goals allowed in a game by Carolina since March 18, 2008 when the Tar Heels beat Marist 12-3 at Fetzer Field.
BURKE EXCELS IN THE CAGE: North Carolina sophomore goalkeeper Kieran Burke started his 18th successive game for Carolina in the Tar Heels' season opener. Burke was stellar in the cage, making seven saves and allowing only two goals in 45 minutes of action. Duncan Saunders and Bradley Dunn shared fourth quarter goalkeeping duties for the Tar Heels.
HOLDING PALADINS SCORELESS: The North Carolina defense held Furman scoreless for a period of 34:12 in victory over the Paladins. After Ben Levin scored for the Paladins with 2:49 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 2-2, the Tar Heels kept Furman off the scoreboard until 13:37 remained in the game when Kenny Meinsen scored for the Paladins.
The last time a Carolina team had held an opponent scoreless for that long a period of time was April 13, 2013 when UNC blanked Hofstra for a span of 34:38 in a 14-5 victory over the Pride at Hempstead, N.Y.
TUTTON'S SCORING STREAK: With a goal against Furman last Sunday, junior midfielder Chad Tutton has now scored in 14 successive games dating back to March 9, 2013. That equals the eighth longest current scoring streak amongst NCAA Division I players.
Tutton has scored goals in 26 of the past 27 games he has played in. The only game in that streak when he did not score came at Notre Dame on March 2, 2013.
The stellar Canadian midfielder had scored in 12 successive games from March 21, 2012 through February 23, 2013 prior to having his scoring streak broken against the Fighting Irish.
POINTS STREAKS FOR JOEY AND JIMMY: Carolina junior attackmen Jimmy Bitter and Joey Sankey have two of the 13 longest point scoring streaks currently active in NCAA Division I.
Bitter, who missed the Furman game due to injury, has recorded points in 27 successive games dating back to March 16, 2012. That equals the eighth longest streak in the nation.
Sankey has recorded at least one point in a game in 22 consecutive contests. His scoring streak began on April 20, 2012. Sankey's streak is the 13th longest in NCAA Division I.
KEENAN PASSES 600 MARK IN FACE-OFF WINS: Senior midfielder R.G. Keenan started his senior season with an outstanding performance at the X against the Paladins. He won 11 of 17 face-offs. Keenan's 11 wins give him 605 face-off victories in his career. He ranks second on the Tar Heel record board behind only Shane Walterhoefer, who won 723 face-offs from 2006-09.
Brothers Frankie and Stephen Kelly combined to win five of eight face-offs against Furman, giving the Tar Heels a solid 1-2-3 punch at draws.
PLAYING ITS DEPTH: One of the plusses of posting the comfortable win over Furman last Sunday was the fact Coach Joe Breschi could play his roster in the 19-3 win over the Paladins. Thirty-eight players saw action in the game for Carolina. Every player in uniform on the trip played in the game.
LAST TIME AT NAVY FIELD: Carolina has played only one previous regular-season game at the Navy Field Turf Facility. The Tar Heels defeated Bryant University there by a 5-4 score on February 13, 2010.
