University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Bryant
UNC Rallies In Second Half To Outlast Bryant 10-9
March 11, 2015 | Men's Lacrosse
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Sophomore Luke Goldstock scored a career-high six goals to lead a second-half charge as second-ranked North Carolina rallied past Bryant 10-9 in men's lacrosse action Tuesday afternoon at Fetzer Field. Carolina rallied from 6-2 and 9-8 second-half deficits to remain unbeaten on the season.
Goldstock, who had five goals and four assists last Saturday in Carolina's 26-6 win over Manhattan, followed that up with a six-goal game against the Bulldogs, who reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last year but had started this season slowly, coming to Chapel Hill with a 1-4 record.
Bryant certainly did not look like a 1-4 team in the first half as it dominated the opening 30 minutes, taking a 6-2 lead into intermission. But UNC rallied twice in the second half to claim the victory and improve to 7-0 on the season.
Bryant's All-America goalkeeper Gunnar Waldt and NCAA record-setting face-off man Kevin Massa gave the Tar Heels fits all day. Waldt made 12 saves in the first half while allowing only two goals. After halftime, however, the Tar Heels were able to get to Waldt, scoring eight second-half goals against him while he made three saves in the final half. UNC junior Kieran Burke came on in the goal in the second half for the Tar Heels and he was huge, making six saves after intermission, including three in the last five minutes of the game to preserve the win for Carolina after the Tar Heels had taken a 10-9 lead with 5:34 to play.
Besides Goldstock's performance, Jimmy Bitter had two goals and an assist for UNC and Joey Sankey had a goal and two assists. Duncan Hutchins had a pair of helpers for the Heels. Shane Morrell led Bryant with two goals and an assist while Tucker James had a pair of goals and Tim Kennedy had a goal and two assists.
UNC outshot the Bulldogs 42-38 in the game and led in ground balls 41-33. Waldt finished the game with 15 saves for the Bulldogs. UNC platooned goalkeepers as it has all year. Brian Balkam played the first half and made two saves and Kieran Burke played the second half and had six saves while allowing only three goals.
Kevin Massa led the Bulldogs in the face-off circle as he won 15 of 23 face-offs and he had nine ground balls. North Carolina senior defenseman Jake Bailey led the Tar Heels with a career high 10 ground balls. That total was double Bailey's previous career high of five versus Duke on March 15, 2014 and versus Virginia on April 26, 2014.
A key in the game that helped the Tar Heels rally to victory was the turnover differential. Bryant turned the ball over 19 times, including 11 unforced errors, while UNC committed only 10 turnovers. The Tar Heels were also a perfect 22-for-22 in the clearing game and did not commit a foul despite coming into the game leading the nation in penalties.
Bryant opened the scoring with a goal by Cam Ziegler with 8:38 left in the first period, assisted by Collins Gantz. Carolina came back to score a pair of goals just 20 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period. Carolina got the equalizer when Duncan Hutchins dodged a check on the doorstep and fed cross crease to Jimmy Bitter for an easy put away at 2:22 of the first quarter. Just 20 seconds later, Luke Goldstock drove goal line extended from the left side and scored his first of six goals, putting Carolina up 2-1.
The momentum shifted in the second quarter to Bryant and the Bulldogs ran off five goals in a row to take a 6-2 lead into the half. Tucker James scored back-to-back goals to give the Bulldogs the lead with 7:46 left in the half. Shane Morrell made it 4-2 for Bryant before goals by Cody O'Donnell and Ryan Sharpe just 17 seconds apart put Bryant up 6-2 with 4:37 left in the first half. Carolina called timeout and Brian Balkam made a save on Ziegler with 2:23 left to stop the bleeding. Waldt continued to stonewall UNC at the other end of the field, however, with saves on Jimmy Bitter and Luke Goldstock in the last two minutes of the half.
Bryant came out in the second half and won the opening face-off but Ryan Kilpatrick forced a turnover by Cody O'Donnell and less than a minute later Goldstock cut the Tar Heel deficit to 6-3. The sophomore dodged from the left side past his defenseman and placed his shot into the right side of the cage. After the Tar Heels won the following face-off, Goldstock scored again just 10 seconds later, taking a nifty left-handed pass from Stephen Kelly and going low to score five-hole past Waldt.
Goldstock scored again at 10:52 to make it 6-5, again going low with a worm-burner to beat Waldt between his legs. It took another 42 seconds for the Tar Heels to gain the equalizer as Duncan Hutchins hit Joey Sankey who cut from behind the cage, took the pass in stride and finished to make it 6-6.
Carolina took the lead with 8:30 left in the third quarter when Michael Tagliaferri fed Jimmy Bitter on the right side for the senior attackman's second goal of the game. Then, at 7:51, the Tar Heels claimed their first two-goal lead of the game as Sankey from behind the cage fed Peyton Klawinski out front for the putaway on the crease.
Bryant answered 30 seconds later on a goal from Tom Kennedy as he dodged down the right alley and the teams went to the fourth quarter with the Tar Heels up by one goal.
The persistent Bulldogs reclaimed the lead with goals by Tom Forsberg at 12:11 and by Shane Morrell, assisted by Tom Kennedy at 9:26.
Bryant won the ensuing face-off and kept possession for two minutes before a turnover by Cam Ziegler and a ground ball pickup by UNC's Brett Bedard. After Chad Tutton's shot sailed high at 6:28, UNC got a quick restart goal as Sankey's pass from the end line found Goldstock out front for the tying goal. As Goldstock directed the ball into the cage, he was also slashed on the play by Cody O'Donnell, giving the Tar Heels a man up opportunity.
Bryant won the face-off but Kevin Massa turned the ball over 18 seconds later. After UNC cleared the ball, Carolina notched the game-winning goal eight seconds before the penalty was set to expire. Jimmy Bitter fed Goldstock in the middle of the zone and he sent a sidearm shot low to high into the top shelf past Waldt. The goal with 5:34 left would prove to be the eventual game-winner.
There was still work to do for the Tar Heels to secure the win. Bryant won the face-off but Kieran Burke stopped a shot by Ryan Sharpe at 4:49. Carolina then got an extra-man opportunity with 3:25 to play. Goldstock turned the ball over and Cam Ziegler was off to the races on a fast break. Kieran Burke layed out to make a brilliant save on Ziegler's shot and Jimmy Bitter hustled back to claim the ground ball with 2:46 left. Carolina killed clock until the 1:13 mark before Tate Jozokos' shot was blocked. Bryant had one last opportunity for the tie but Burke came up big again, saving Collins Gantz's shot with 45 seconds to play. UNC regained possession and killed off the clock to prevail 10-9 and keep its record unscathed.
NEXT UP: Carolina will play its first road game of the season when the Tar Heels travel to meet the University of Richmond Saturday at 1 p.m. at Robins Stadium.
NOTING THE TAR HEELS
• Sophomore attackman Luke Goldstock had a career high six goals in Tuesday's game. That's one more than his previous career mark of five he set in last Saturday's victory over Manhattan.
• Senior defenseman Jake Bailey had a career high 10 ground balls in the game. His previous career high was five last season – against Duke and against Virginia in the ACC Showcase game.
• Luke Goldstock now has six career hat tricks, including five this season.
• Duncan Hutchins matched his career high with two assists. He also had two versus UMBC in 2011 and against Penn State in 2012.
• Jimmy Bitter's two goals versus Bryant give him 106 career tallies, the seventh most in UNC history
• Jimmy Bitter has now recorded at least one point in 48 successive games dating back to March 16, 2012. That's the second longest current streak in the nation in NCAA Division I, trailing only a 51-game streak by Shayne Adams, a red-shirt senior attackman at Detroit. During his 48-game scoring streak, Bitter has scored 98 goals and passed for 56 assists for 154 points. The 48-game streak is the third longest in Carolina history behind 50-game streaks by Dennis Goldstein (2-28-89 to 5-27-91) and Ryan Wade (5-11-91 to 5-21-94).
• Joey Sankey has recorded at least one point in 43 successive games, a streak that began on April 20, 2012. That is tied for the third longest active streak in NCAA Division I and it is equals the sixth longest streak in Carolina history. During that streak, Sankey has scored 85 goals and passed for 70 assists for 155 points.
• In Bitter's 48-game streak and Sankey's 43-game streak, they have totaled 154 and 155 points, respectively.
• Jimmy Bitter has scored a goal in 21 straight games, dating back to February 16, 2014. That is the fourth longest active streak in the country in NCAA Division I. Bitter's streak began on February 16, 2014 and he has scored 48 goals in that time. The 21-game goal scoring streak is the sixth longest in UNC history.
• Jimmy Bitter now has 165 career points at UNC. He has moved into 12th place in Carolina history in Carolina points. Mac Ford (1982-85) and Jed Prossner (2002-05) are tied for 10th with 172 career points.
• Joey Sankey has now totaled 186 career points, a total which ranks seventh in UNC history. John Webster (1990-93) ranks sixth in Tar Heel history with 188 points.
• Joey Sankey recorded two assists against Bryant and has 83 career helpers, a total which moves him into a tie for fourth place in UNC history with Brendan Carey (1993-96).
