University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Meet Orange Friday In ACC Semifinals
April 29, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
2016 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA MEN'S LACROSSE GAME NOTES
Game 14: North Carolina Tar Heels (8-5 overall, 3-1 ACC, Ranked #11 USILA Division I Men's Lacrosse Coaches Poll, Ranked #10 Cascade/Maverik Media Poll) vs. Syracuse Orange (8-4 overall, 2-2 ACC, Ranked #8 USILA Division I Men's Lacrosse Coaches Poll, Ranked #7 Cascade/Maverik Media Poll)
Friday, April 29, 2016
6:00 p.m. EDT
Fifth Third Bank Stadium
Kennesaw, Ga.
KEY LINKS FOR FRIDAY'S GAME
Live Stats: GoHeels.com
Television Information: ESPNU/WatchESPN; Eamon McAnaney, Play by Play; Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra, Analysts
Webcast Information: WatchESPN
VIEW COMPLETE GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT
VIEW 2016 UNC MEN'S LACROSSE MEDIA GUIDE
TAR HEELS MATCH UP WITH #7 ORANGE IN ACC SEMIFINALS FRIDAY: The University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team, under the direction of eighth-year head coach Joe Breschi, returns to action this Friday when its plays the Syracuse Orange at 6 p.m. EDT in the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals.
The match will be played at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on the campus of the Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. In the second semifinal game on Friday, Notre Dame will meet Duke at 8 p.m. The two semifinal winners will play for the ACC championship on Sunday at 12 noon.
The Tar Heels come into the game with an 8-5 record and a 3-1 mark in the ACC after defeating then top-ranked Notre Dame last Saturday 17-15 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels are ranked 11th this week in the USILA coaches poll and 10th the Cascade/Maverik media poll.
The Orange are 8-4 so far this campaign and 2-2 in the ACC. The Orange have been idle since a victory against Binghamton 10 days ago. Syracuse is ranked eighth this week in the USILA coaches poll and seventh in the Cascade/Maverik media poll.
This marks the second straight year that the Tar Heels have played the Orange in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. A year ago in Chester, Pa., the Orange emerged 9-8 in the semifinal game and two days later beat Duke for the ACC Tournament championship.
Friday's game will televised nationally live on ESPNU and Watch ESPN. Eamon McAnaney will be the play-by-play announcer for ESPNU while Quint Kessenich and Paul Carcaterra will be the analysts.
A live stats link will be available on GoHeels.com, the official website of UNC Athletics, as well as TheACC.com.
UNC-SYRACUSE REGULAR SEASON MEETING: Sergio Salcido and Nick Mariano each scored three goals and Dylan Donahue added four assists to lead 10th-ranked Syracuse to a 13-7 win over 11th-ranked North Carolina in men's lacrosse action before 4,830 fans at the Carrier Dome on April 16.
UNC was led by Michael Tagliaferri who scored a career high four goals while recording his fifth career hat trick. Luke Goldstock had two goals and an assist for the Heels and Jake Matthai had a goal and an assist. With his three-point performance Goldstock recorded at least one point in 29 successive games.
Syracuse outshot the Tar Heels 39-24 in the game and had a 28-20 edge in ground balls. In the face-off circle, Ben Williams won 16 of 24 face-offs for Syracuse while Stephen Kelly finished 8 for 24 in the face-off circle for UNC.
Evan Molloy made his second start of the season in goal for Syracuse and made nine saves while Brian Balkam went the whole way for UNC and made 10 saves.
The two teams traded goals in the early going before the Orange went on a six-goal run to end the first half. The Syracuse defense held UNC scoreless over the last 21:23 of the first half. In the first half, Syracuse outshot the Tar Heels 23-11 and had a 14-8 edge in ground balls. The two teams combined for 18 turnovers in the opening 30 minutes with UNC committing eight and Syracuse 10.
CAROLINA IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT: North Carolina has qualified for every ACC Tournament since 1989 with the exception of the 2014 season when Carolina played in the ACC Showcase game in what was then a 6-team league.
Altogether, UNC has posted a 19-18 in ACC Tournament play. Carolina is 4-5 in the ACC Tournament since Joe Breschi became the head coach in 2009.
Carolina had enormous success in the ACC Tournament in its early years, winning seven of eight titles from 1989 to 1996. UNC won championships in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996 and reached the finals in 1995.
Beginning in 1997, Carolina lost it opening game in the ACC Tournament 12 straight years. The Tar Heels ended that losing streak in Breschi's first year as head coach when in 2009, the Tar Heels beat Maryland 16-10 in the semifinal round at Kenan Stadium.
The Tar Heels advanced to championships in 2009 and 2012 under Breschi. Then in 2013, the Tar Heels won their first conference championship since 1996 as they beat Duke 18-17 and Virginia 16-13 at Kenan Stadium.
UNC AS A #1 SEED: North Carolina has earned the #1 seed for the 2016 ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish both finished 3-1 in the ACC regular-season standings. The Tar Heels are seeded #1 and the Fighting Irish #2 based on the fact the Tar Heels beat the Irish 17-15 in head-to-head play in the conference regular-season.
The Tar Heels are the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1996. This is only the fourth time in the history of the tournament where Carolina has notched the #1 seed. UNC has been the #1 seed in 1991, 1992, 1996 and 2016.
THREE ACC WINS: North Carolina has gone 3-1 in ACC regular season play in each of the past two seasons. The last time UNC won three league regular season games in back-to-back seasons was 1991 and 1992.
In fact, Carolina has won three or more games in the ACC regular season only eight times in history – 1976, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2015 and 2016.
AN ACC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP: Carolina shared the 2016 ACC championship with Notre Dame. This marks the third time in Coach Joe Breschi's coaching tenure that the Heels have shared a conference regular season title, also doing so in 2010 and 2013.
Carolina also shared a regular season title in 1985, 1994, 1996 and 2003.
Carolina won outright ACC regular-season championships in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1991 and 1992.
FIVE TAR HEELS NAMED ALL-ACC: For the second straight year, North Carolina has five players on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference men's lacrosse team. That's the most selection since the 1993 team placed seven players on the All-ACC squad.
The five Tar Heels named to the All-ACC Team are senior short-stick defensive midfielder Jake Matthai, senior attackman Steve Pontrello, junior close defenseman Austin Pifani, junior face-off man Stephen Kelly and junior midfielder Michael Tagliaferri.
Matthai, a team captain, has played in 11 games this year. He is the leader of the Tar Heels' short stick defensive midfield unit and has 18 ground balls this year to go with three goals and three assists.
Pontrello, converted to attack this year after three years running in UNC's first midfield, has had a monster senior season. He leads Carolina in goals scored with 36, is tied for second on the squad in assists with 12 and is also tops on the Tar Heel points chart with 48. He leads the attack unit with 23 ground balls and he has scored on 38 percent of his shots while placing 69 percent of his shots on goal.
Despite missing three games at midseason, Pifani, team captain and the Tar Heels' leader on close defense, was named to the All-ACC Team. He has played in all 42 games in his career in which he has been dressed. This season he has 15 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
Stephen Kelly has been a warrior at the face-off circle. He has won 184 of 309 draws for a winning percentage of .595. With his 184 wins he has now moved into third place all-time in face-off wins at Carolina with 472 despite missing the second half of his freshman year in 2014. Kelly leads Carolina with 92 ground balls and his career total is now 241, the 15th most in UNC history.
Michael Tagliaferri has had a breakthrough season for the Tar Heels while starting every game in the first midfield unit. He has scored 22 goals, the fifth most of the team, to go with five assists and 27 points, also the fifth highest total on the team. He has scored 10 of his 22 goals this season in ACC regular season games.
TAR HEELS AT KENAN STADIUM: North Carolina improved to 6-0 in games played at Kenan Stadium over the past four seasons after beating Notre Dame 17-15 there on April 23.
UNC's last loss in the Tar Heel football stadium came on April 26, 2009 when Duke defeated Carolina 15-13 in the ACC Tournament championship game.
The Tar Heels have defeated Virginia twice (2013 & 2016) and Duke (2013), Johns Hopkins (2013), Maryland (2014) and Notre Dame (2016) once each in its past six games at Kenan Stadium.
HONORING THE TAR HEEL SENIORS: The UNC Class of 2016 was honored prior to last Saturday's game at Kenan Stadium. This group included five seniors as well as two redshirt juniors all of whom came into the Tar Heel program in the fall of 2012.
The Tar Heel seniors are as follows:
Evan Connell, Senior Defenseman, Lutherville, Md.
Jake Matthai, Senior Midfielder, Baltimore, Md.
Patrick Kelly, Senior Midfielder, Timonium, Md. (2016 Captain)
Steve Pontrello, Senior Attackman, Marlton, N.J.
Zach Powers, Senior Defenseman, Columbus, Ohio
Mark Rizzo, Redshirt Junior Defenseman, Hewlett, N.Y.
Michael Tagliaferri, Redshirt Junior Midfielder, Danville, Calif.
The Tar Heels celebrated with a 17-15 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Carolina has now won on Senior Day in Chapel Hill in 17 successive seasons. The last loss on Senior Day came on May 8, 1999 when a #1-ranked Loyola team beat the Tar Heels 10-7 at Fetzer Field.
LAST TIME OUT FOR CAROLINA: The #16 University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team rallied from a five-goal deficit with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation to down #1 Notre Dame 17-15 before 3,371 fans at Kenan Stadium on April 23.
On Senior Day and Alumni Weekend for the Tar Heels, UNC scored the last seven goals of the game, all in a span of 7:29 in the fourth period. UNC trailed by 15-10 with 10:01 to play before Chris Cloutier and Michael Tagliaferri scored goals to pull the Tar Heels within 15-12 with 8:16 to play. After neither team scored for more than three minutes Luke Goldstock began a five-goal scoring run for the Tar Heels that started with 4:47 to play in the fourth quarter and ended with a Patrick Kelly goal with 1:49 to play in the game. Kelly's goal put UNC up 17-15 and Carolina won the ensuing face-off and then ran off all but 14 seconds of the clock to secure the victory.
UNC finished the day with a 45-37 edge in shots and a 36-33 advantage in ground balls. UNC's Stephen Kelly again had an outstanding day in the face-off circle for UNC as he won 19 of 35 face-offs and matched his season high with 12 ground balls. Kelly has now won 19 or more face-offs in a game four times in his career and his 12 ground balls were one short of his career high. He has earned a dozen or more ground balls in a game four times in his career.
Luke Goldstock and Steve Pontrello each had four goals and two assists to lead the Tar Heels. Patrick Kelly had a hat trick and Michael Tagliaferri had two goals and an assist.
GOLDSTOCK & KELLY SWEEP ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS: Following its comeback victory over No. 1 Notre Dame, North Carolina's Luke Goldstock has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week, while teammate Stephen Kelly is this week's Defensive Player of the Week on April 25.
Junior attackman Goldstock was the key player in an 8-1 fourth-quarter scoring burst as No. 16 North Carolina came from five goals down with less than 10 minutes to play to upset top-ranked Notre Dame, 17-15. Goldstock opened scoring 17 seconds into the game but was then held without a point by the Notre Dame defense through the end of the third quarter. With UNC trailing 14-9, Goldstock scored at 10:40 left in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to four. Notre Dame answered with a goal 39 seconds later before UNC went on a 7-0 scoring run to end the game. Goldstock assisted on Michael Tagliaferri's goal with 8:16 left to cut Notre Dame's lead to 15-12. He then scored back-to-back goals at 4:47 and 3:48 to pull Carolina within one goal, 15-14. The Niskayuna, N.Y., native got his fifth point of the quarter when he assisted Patrick Kelly's goal with 1:49 to play to make it 17-15 and cap off UNC's furious comeback.
Junior midfielder Kelly played an integral role in the Tar Heels' defeat of the Fighting Irish. Going up against a pair of Fighting Irish face-off men, Kelly won 19 of 35 face-offs and matched a season high with 12 ground balls. The Lutherville, Md., native won seven of 10 face-offs in the fourth quarter as the Tar Heels outscored the Fighting Irish 8-1 in the final frame to rally from a five-goal deficit for the win. He scored the game-winning goal with 2:50 left off his own face-off win, giving the Tar Heels a 16-15 lead in the eventual 17-15 victory.
Kelly was also named Tuesday as the Baltimore Sun National Player of the Week.
CAROLINA VERSUS NUMBER ONE: With last Saturday's 17-15 win against #1 Notre Dame, the 2016 season marked the fifth straight year UNC has emerged victorious against a team ranked #1 in the nation in the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association coaches' poll. In fact, th e game against Notre Dame was thesecond time this season the Tar Heels played host to the #1 team in the USILA poll. Carolina played then #1 Denver on March 5 at Fetzer Field with the Tar Heels falling to the Pioneers 13-12 in overtime.
UNC is 11-20 all-time against teams ranked #1 in the USILA coaches poll.
Carolina has had wins against #1 teams in each of the five years from 2012-16. Those wins came against Johns Hopkins 13-9 on April 1, 2012, against Maryland 10-8 on March 23, 2013, against Maryland 11-8 on March 22, 2014, against Denver 12-10 on February 27, 2015 and against Notre Dame 17-15 on April 23, 2016.
Prior to the win against Johns Hopkins in 2012, Carolina had not beaten a #1-ranked team since April 6, 1996 when UNC beat Virginia 19-18 at Fetzer Field.
UNC VERSUS #1 TEAMS ALL-TIME IN USILA POLL (11-20)
March 13, 1974 - Maryland 16, UNC 8 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
May 24, 1980 – Virginia 11, UNC 10, two overtimes (at Charlottesville, Va.)
May 30, 1981 – UNC 14, Johns Hopkins 13 (at Princeton, N.J.)
May 21, 1983 – Johns Hopkins 12, UNC 9 (at Baltimore, Md.)
April 6, 1985 – UNC 11, Johns Hopkins 10 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
May 28, 1985 – Syracuse 14, UNC 13, overtime (at Syracuse, N.Y.)
May 24, 1986 – UNC 10, Johns Hopkins 9, overtime (at Newark, Del.)
April 8, 1989 – Johns Hopkins 16, UNC 10 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
May 26, 1990 – Syracuse 21, UNC 10 (at Piscataway, N.J.)
March 9, 1991 – UNC 10, Syracuse 3 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
March 6, 1993 – UNC 14, Syracuse 10 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
March 3, 1994 – Syracuse 17, UNC 10 (at Syracuse, N.Y.)
April 6, 1996 – UNC 19, Virginia 18 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
March 12, 1997 – Princeton 10, UNC 9 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
May 8, 1999 – Loyola 10, UNC 7 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
April 19, 2002 – Virginia 10, UNC 3 (at Durham, N.C.)
March 29, 2003 – Johns Hopkins 11, UNC 10 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
May 22, 2004 – Johns Hopkins 15, UNC 9 (at Charlottesville, Va.)
April 2, 2005 – Johns Hopkins 7, UNC 5 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
April 8, 2006 – Virginia 21, UNC 13 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
March 15, 2008 – Duke 19, UNC 9 (at Durham, N.C.)
April 6 2009 – Virginia 11, UNC 10 (at East Rutherford, N.J.)
April 10, 2010 – Virginia 7, UNC 5 (at East Rutherford, N.J.)
April 1, 2012 – UNC 13, Johns Hopkins 9 (at East Rutherford, N.J.)
April 7, 2012 – Virginia 15, UNC 10 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
March 23, 2013 – UNC 10, Maryland 8 (at College Park, Md.)
March 22, 2014 – UNC 11, Maryland 8 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
February 27, 2015 – UNC 12, Denver 10 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
April 18, 2015 – Notre Dame 15, UNC 14 (at Notre Dame, Ind.)
March 5, 2016 – Denver 13, UNC 12, Overtime (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
April 23, 2016 – UNC 17, Notre Dame 15 (at Chapel Hill, N.C.)
UNC DEPTH CHART: Heading into the game versus Syracuse, the Tar Heel depth chart shapes up as follows.
Starting Attack-Luke Goldstock, Jr.; Steve Pontrello, Sr,; Chris Cloutier, So.
First Midfield-Patrick Kelly, Sr.; Michael Tagliaferri, RS Jr.; Shane Simpson, Jr.;
Second Midfield-Timmy Kelly, Fr.; William McBride, So.; Brian Cannon, So.
Close Defense–Jack Rowlett, Fr.; Ryan Macri, RS So.; Ryan Pifani, Jr.
Goalkeeper-Brian Balkam, RS So.,
Short Stick Defensive Midfielders–Brett Bedard, Jr.; Jake Matthai, Sr.; Timmy Gehlbach, So.; Tate Jozokos, Jr.
Long Stick Defensive Midfielder–Jack Lambert, RS So.; Evan Connell, Sr.
Face-Offs–Stephen Kelly, Jr.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICAS: The Tar Heels have three All-America players returning from the 2015 team, having lost five to graduation.
Close defenseman Austin Pifani was named second-team USILA All-America last year while short-stick defensive midfielder Tate Jozokos was a third-team selection. Attackman Luke Goldstock, who scored a school record 50 goals last season, was an honorable mention choice last year.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA & ALL-ACC: Tate Jozokos, Austin Pifani and Luke Goldstock were all named to the preseason All-ACC Team chosen by the conference's five head coaches and sponsored by Face-Off Yearbook and Inside Lacrosse.
Face-Off Yearbook named Jozokos and Pifani as preseason first-team All-Americas going into 2016 while junior midfielder Peyton Klawinski was a third-team choice and Goldstock earned honorable mention status.
CAROLINA VS. SYRACUSE SERIES NOTES: Syracuse leads the all-time series against North Carolina 14-7.
The Orange won the regular-season meeting between the two teams by a 13-7 tally at the Carrier Dome on April 16. This marks the second straight year the two teams have played each other in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.
The two teams played each other twice in 2015 with Carolina winning 17-15 in the regular-season matchup at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill and the Orange winning 9-8 in the ACC Tournament semifinals at Chester, Pa.
The will be the sixth time the two teams have played at a neutral site. Syracuse has won the previous five meetings at neutral sites, including 3-0 in NCAA Tournament games and 1-0 in ACC Tournament matches.
UNC HEAD COACH JOE BRESCHI: Joe Breschi, UNC Class of 1990, leads the Tar Heels in his eighth season at Carolina. Breschi is 90-39 in his eight years at Carolina, a winning percentage of 69.8 percent. He also coached 11 years at Ohio State and is 182-102 overall in 19 seasons as a head coach. His overall winning percentage at Ohio State and UNC combined is 64.0 percent. On April 23, 2016, UNC head coach Joe Breschi won his 90th game at Carolina. His 90th win came in Carolina's 17-15 against Notre Dame at Kenan Stadium. His 180th overall victory came in a 17-16 overtime victory against Duke on April 1, 2016 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Breschi Coaching Facts:
• 90-39 in 8 seasons at UNC (69.8)
• 182-102 in 19 seasons overall (64.0)
• 18-16 in one-goal games at UNC
• 48-34 versus ranked teams at UNC; 42-5 versus unranked teams at UNC
• 70-16 versus non-conference teams at UNC
• 58-10 in home games at UNC
ANOTHER DOUBLE DIGIT WIN SEASON UNDER COACH BRESCHI: Despite playing against one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2015, the Tar Heels reached a double digit win total for the seventh successive year under the tutelage of head coach Joe Breschi, who was hired in June 2008.
Breschi is the first head coach in UNC history to post double digit win totals in each of his first seven years mentoring the Tar Heels. Other than Breschi, Dave Klarmann (1991-94) is the only other coach to win 10 or more games in each of his first four seasons. Under Breschi's leadership, UNC went 12-6 in 2009, 13-3 in 2010, 10-6 in 2011, 11-6 in 2012, 13-4 in 2013, 10-5 in 2014 and 13-4 in 2015.
The 2009-15 streak marks the first time UNC has won 10 or more games in a season in seven straight years. UNC won 10 or more games in six straight seasons from 1989-94.
GOLDSTOCK SCORING STREAKS: UNC junior attackman Luke Goldstock has recorded at least one point in 30 straight games, which equals the 17th longest current streak in the nation. Over those 30 games, the Niskayuna, N.Y., native has scored 73 goals and added 36 assists for 109 points. His 30-game point scoring streak is the 13th longest in Tar Heel history.
Goldstock had scored a goal in 25 straight games before being held off the scoreboard in UNC's 11-8 loss at Maryland on March 26. That was the third longest active streak in the nation before it ended.
Goldstock had scored 64 goals in that span which began on February 7, 2015. Goldstock's 25-game goal scoring streak equaled the third-longest streak in UNC lacrosse history.
CAROLINA'S MLL DRAFTEES: After having four players drafted this past January in the Major League Lacrosse Draft, UNC ranks in a tie for sixth all-time in total number of draftees with 31. Syracuse has had the most players drafted with 57, followed by Virginia with 49, Maryland with 47, Johns Hopkins with 44, Duke with 34 and North Carolina and Towson with 31. Massachusetts has had 26 draftees followed by Hofstra with 25, Cornell with 23, Georgetown with 23 and Loyola with 20.
UNC VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS UNDER COACH BRESCHI: North Carolina has played nationally ranked opponents 82 times in Joe Breschi's eight-year coaching tenure. UNC will face #7 Syracuse on Friday in its next game against a ranked opponent. UNC is 48-34 in those games, a winning percentage of 58.5 percent.
Conversely and as would be expected, the Tar Heels are 42-5 against unranked opponents in his eight seasons for an outstanding winning percentage of 89.4 percent. Breschi is 90-39 overall at Carolina in his eight seasons as head coach. During Breschi's tenure, UNC's only losses to unranked teams came at Ohio State in 2011, at home to Lehigh in 2012, at Pennsylvania in 2012, at home to Hofstra and at Massachusetts in 2016.
CAROLINA'S STELLAR MARK IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES: UNC's record in non-conference games continues to be one of the best in the nation over the past nine seasons. The Tar Heels have won 92 of their past 112 games against non-conference teams dating back to April 15, 2006.
In Joe Breschi's eight seasons as head coach, the Tar Heels are a brilliant 71-16 against non-conference teams, a winning percentage of 81.6. The only non-conference losses were to Notre Dame in 2009, to Ohio State and Johns Hopkins in 2011, to Lehigh, Pennsylvania and Denver in 2012, to Massachusetts, Notre Dame and Denver in 2013, to Denver in 2014, to Maryland twice in 2015 and to Hofstra, Denver, Massachusetts and Maryland in 2016.
DOMINANCE AT HOME UNDER BRESCHI: UNC is 58-10 in home games in Coach Joe Breschi's eight years at the helm of the Tar Heels. That's a winning percentage of 85.3 percent. UNC's only home losses during Breschi's four-year tenure include regular-season and ACC Tournament games to Duke in 2009, a regular-season loss to Duke in 2011, an NCAA Tournament loss to Maryland in 2011, regular-season losses to Lehigh and Virginia and an NCAA Tournament loss to Denver in 2012, a regular-season loss to Duke in 2013, a regular-season loss to Notre Dame in 2014 and regular-season losses to Hofstra and Denver in 2016.
Under Breschi's tutelage,the Tar Heels had won 17 successive home games under Breschi's tutelage before being upset at home by Hofstra on February 20.
CAROLINA IN HOME GAMES: North Carolina has an all-time record of 283-122-2 in home games. That included a perfect 11-0 record in 2015. In Joe Breschi's eight-year tenure as head coach he has twice led Carolina to unbeaten records at home – 7-0 in 2010 and 11-0 in 2015. Since 1949, UNC has had eight undefeated home seasons, two under the tutelage of Breschi. UNC has a 69.6 percent winning percentage all-time in history in home games.
THE ALL-TIME RECORD: North Carolina has an all-time record of 478-287-2 in the sport of men's lacrosse. That is a winning percentage of .623.
CAROLINA'S IMPROVEMENT IN ONE-GOAL DECISIONS: Prior to Joe Breschi taking over as head coach in 2009, UNC went 1-7 in games decided by one goal from midway through the 2004 season through the end of the 2008 campaign. Carolina has improved tremendously in one-goal games since Breschi arrived for the 2009 season. UNC is 18-16 in games decided by one goal over the past eight years.
FOUR TAR HEELS CHOSEN IN 2016 MLL DRAFT: Four seniors on the 2016 University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team were selected in the Major League Lacrosse Draft on January 22.
Senior attackman/midfielder Steve Pontrello was the first Tar Heel chosen in the draft. He was chosen in the third round by the Florida Launch with the draft's overall No. 25 pick.
Senior midfielder Jake Matthai was taken in the fifth round of the draft with the overall No. 41 pick by the Boston Cannons.
Senior defenseman Zach Powers was taken in the sixth round of the draft with the overall No. 50 pick by the Ohio Machine, based in Powers' hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In the seventh round with the 54th pick the Charlotte Hounds chose UNC senior defenseman Evan Connell.
CAROLINA'S DOUBLE DIGIT SCORING GAMES: In Coach Joe Breschi's eight years as head lacrosse coach at UNC, Carolina's success has in large part been tied to hitting the 10-goal plateau in a game. In fact UNC's 13-12 overtime loss to Denver on March 5, marked only the 14th time in Breschi's coaching tenure that the Tar Heels have lost when they have reached the 10-goal plateau. UNC has scored at least 10 goals in a game in 97 of 129 games under Coach Breschi's direction dating back to the opening game of the 2009 season. Carolina is 83-14 in those 97 games. As would be expected, in the 32 games under Coach Breschi's tutelage in which the Tar Heels have not reached the 10-goal mark, UNC has not fared nearly as well as when it scores in double figures. In fact, the Tar Heels' record in those 32 games is 7-25.
UNC CLAIMS ANOTHER SEASON OPENING WIN: The Tar Heels beat Michigan 20-10 in their 2016 season opener on February 6. UNC has won every season opener since the 1999 season, running its streak to 18 seasons in a row with the win over the Wolverines. Carolina's last loss in a season opener came on February 22, 1998 when the Tar Heels fell to Butler 13-12 at Fetzer Field.
2016 TAR HEEL PLAYER NOTES
Brian Balkam, Redshirt Sophomore Goalkeeper, St. James, N.Y.
• Has started the 12 games in goal for the Tar Heels. Has played 655 minutes and has a goals against average of 9.62.
• Came off the bench with 19 minutes left in the win over Notre Dame, making five saves and helping the Tar Heels rally past the Fighting Irish with an 8-1 scoring run in the final period.
• Has a 7-5 goalkeeper record this year.
• Had what was then a career high 12 saves in games against Denver and Richmond.
• In UNC's 16-8 win over Virginia on April 10, he set a new career high for saves in a game with 14. He had seven first-half saves in the game as the Tar Heels bolted to a 10-2 lead at intermission.
• Named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on April 11 after his career best performance in the win over the Cavaliers.
• Recorded career high for ground balls in a game with five each against Hofstra and Denver.
• Started the first seven games of the 2015 season in goal. Played in 8 games overall last season.
• Did a solid job for the Tar Heels. Played 221 minutes and had a save percentage of .556 and goals against average of 7.61.
• Posted a 5-0 goalkeeper record. His career goalkeeper record going into the Syracuse game is 12-5.
• 2015 season high for saves was seven versus High Point. Had six saves each versus Furman and Massachusetts and five against Johns Hopkins.
• Had a season high four ground balls in win over High Point.
Brett Bedard, Junior Short Stick Defensive Midfielder, Annapolis, Md.
• Key player in the short stick defensive midfield for UNC.
• Has played in all 13 games. Had two ground balls and a caused turnover in win at Johns Hopkins.
• Scored first goal of the season in 17-16 overtime win at Duke on April 1.
• Has six ground balls and three caused turnovers in 2016.
• Played in 16 games for the Tar Heels last season.
• Scored goals against Manhattan and in the ACC Tournament semifinal versus Syracuse
• Had five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Had season high two ground balls versus Bryant.
Chris Cloutier, Sophomore Attackman, Kitchener, Ontario
• After playing in only two games as a freshman he has moved into starting lineup this year at attack.
• Ranks second on team in goals with 24, is fourth in assists with 11 and third in points with 35.
• Leads the team in shooting percentage at .462. Of his 52 total shots he has put 37 on frame, a .712 percentage.
• Also has scooped up 20 ground balls this year.
• Scored five goals in season opener versus Michigan, which equals the second most in a game by a Tar Heel this season.
• Scored four goals in win at Johns Hopkins including two in the fourth quarter when the Tar Heels scored the last five goals of the contest to pull away for a 15-11 win. Scored the game-tying goal with 8:16 to play to spark the 5-0 scoring run.
• Has scored at least twice in six games in 2016. He has at least one point in 12 of 13 games this season.
• Had a career high three assists, career high seven points and career high four ground balls versus Richmond. His four goals against the Spiders were one short of his career high.
Brian Cannon, Sophomore Midfielder, Northport, N.Y.
• Scored a pair of goals in Tar Heels' win at Duke.
• Also scored twice in win over Virginia on April 10.
• Moved into the second midfield unit in midseason.
• Scored two goals against Manhattan in freshman year.
• Triggered one of the key goals in the first half against Notre Dame, causing a turnover on the ride, scooping up the ground ball and feeding Steve Pontrello for an open net goal.
Evan Connell, Junior Defenseman, Lutherville, Md.
• UNC's top long stick defensive midfielder. Has played in all 12 games and has 23 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.
• Scored first goal since his sophomore year in season opener versus Michigan. Also had three ground balls and one caused turnover versus the Wolverines.
• Had two caused turnovers versus both Hofstra and Johns Hopkins.
• Matched his career high with five ground balls versus Massachusetts. Also had three ground balls in win over Duke.
• Played in 17 games last year including seven starting assignments at close defense.
• His 32 ground balls were the most he has had in a single season (25 as a freshman in 2013). He had 13 caused turnovers, two short of his freshman year total.
• Matched his career high for ground balls in a game with five versus Massachusetts.
Timmy Gehlbach, Sophomore Short Stick Defensive Midfielder, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
• Played in just three games as a freshman but has moved into a key role this year in the short stick defensive midfield.
• Has played in all 13 games.
• Had a career high three ground balls versus Massachusetts.
Luke Goldstock, Junior Attackman, Niskayuna, N.Y.
• Named to Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List.
• Preseason All-ACC selection.
• Face-Off Yearbook preseason honorable mention All-America honoree.
• Has started all 13 games this season.
• Is tied for third on the team in goals scored with 23 and is second in points with 42. Leads Carolina in assists with 19, seven more than any other Tar Heel player in 2016.
• Shares the team lead in man-up goals with four. His seven caused turnovers lead all UNC attackmen and his 21 ground balls are second among Tar Heel attackmen.
• Opened the season with a two-goal, three-assist performance versus Michigan. Also had four ground balls versus the Wolverines.
• Had three goals and an assist versus Furman.
• Goldstock had scored a goal in 25 straight games before that streak was broken in the Maryland game. That equaled the third-longest goal scoring streak in UNC history. It was the third longest current active streak in the nation when it came to an end.
• Has recorded a point in 30 straight games, equaling the 17th longest active streak in the nation. It's also the 13th longest point streak in UNC history.
• Passed the 100-point mark in career scoring with three points verus Richmond. Heads into Syracuse game with 119 career points. That's the 29th highest point total in Carolina history.
• Has 80 career goals. That equals the 26th highest total in UNC history.
• Matched his career high for assists in a game with four against Duke on April 1. That equaled the four he had against Manhattan as a sophomore.
• Named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week on April 25 after scoring four goals and adding an assist in 17-15 win over Notre Dame. He had five of his six points in the fourth quarter as the Tar Heels outscored the Fighting Irish 8-1 in the final quarter to rally the Tar Heels from a five-goal deficit.
• 2015 USILA honorable mention All-America.
• Goldstock had 67 points last season after having just 10 as a freshman in 2014 when he was the first player off the bench at attack.
• Goldstock's 50 goals in 2015 were the most in a single season in UNC history. He broke Dennis Goldstein's previous school record of 47 goals from the 1991 season in the NCAA win over Colgate. Goldstein's record had stood for 24 years.
• Goldstock's 67 points were the eighth most in a single season in UNC history.
• Goldstock has 21 career multi-goal games, 10 career multi-assist games and 29 career multi-point games.
Tate Jozokos, Junior Short Stick Defensive Midfielder, Wolfeboro, N.H.
• Preseason first-team All-America selection by Face-off Yearbook at the short stick defensive midfield position.
• Preseason All-ACC selection as short stick defensive midfield.
• Has played in 12 games this year and has 21 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Had three ground balls each versus Michigan, Furman and Johns Hopkins.
• Scored his second goal of the season in the Tar Heels' win over Virginia.
• Was a third-team All-America as chosen by USILA in 2015.
• Jozokos had five goals and five assists last year after having just one assist as a freshman. His 10 points equaled the most by any UNC short stick defensive midfielder last year. Michael Tagliaferri also had 10 points.
• Jozokos had a goal, an assist and a career high five ground balls in the win over #1 Denver on February 27, 2015. He was named ACC and NCAA Defensive Player of the Week the following week.
• Jozokos had nine games with three or more ground balls in 2015. He had 43 ground balls on the season, a total which ranks fifth on the team.
Patrick Kelly, Senior Midfielder, Timonium, Md.
• Team captain.
• Winner of team's Athletic Director's Scholar Athlete Award for 2015-16.
• Has started all 13 games in first midfield unit.
• Scored game-winning goal in overtime against Duke on April 1.
• Is tied for third on the team in goals scored with 23 and ranks fourth in points with 28.
• His 23 goals are six more than the 17 goals he scored in his first three years combined as a Tar Heel.
• Had two goals and an assist in both Furman and Johns Hopkins games.
• Notched hat tricks against Denver, Richmond and Notre Dame.
• Kelly had 13 points last season, three more points than he had as a sophomore.
• Played in all 17 games last season. Started the first 11 games in the first midfield unit and then ran in the second midfield contingent the rest of the year.
• Kelly has 11 career multi-goal games, two career multi-assist games and 18 career multi-point games.
• Ran in Carolina's second midfield unit as a sophomore, notching five goals and five assists.
Stephen Kelly, Junior Midfielder, Lutherville, Md.
• UNC's leading face-off man. Has won 59.5 percent of his draws this year, going 184 of 309 at the face-off X.
• Named to 2016 All-ACC Team.
• Passed Kevin Frew in the Syracuse game with eight wins to move into third place in all-time in career face-offs won at Carolina.
• Leads Carolina in ground balls with 92. Season high for ground balls is 12 versus both Duke and Notre Dame. He also had 10 ground balls versus Virginia and nine versus Furman, Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts and Manhattan.
• His 20 face-off wins versus Duke marked the third time in his career he has won at least 20 draws in a game. His 12 ground balls versus the Blue Devils marked the third time in his career he has scooped up at least a dozen ground balls.
• Set school record for face-off percentage in a game, winning all 16 draws in win over Manhattan on March 14.
• Has won 127 of his last 206 face-offs dating back to March 12.
• Was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week February 28 after winning 17 of 25 face-offs, scooping up nine ground balls and assisting on a goal in 15-11 win at Johns Hopkins.
• Tapped as USILA National Defensive Player of the Week on March 1 for his performance in the win over Hopkins and as NCAA.com National Defensive Player of the Week.
• Won ACC co-defensive player of the week honors after combined performances against Manhattan and Richmond.
• Won ACC Defensive Player of the Week and Baltimore Sun National Player of the Week accolades after Carolina beat Notre Dame 17-15 on April 23. In that game, Kelly won 19 of 35 face-offs and scooped up 12 ground balls. He went 7-for-10 at the face-off X in the fourth quarter as the Tar Heels outscored the Fighting Irish 8-1 to rally from a five-goal deficit.
• Kelly won 214 face-offs last year, the fourth most in a season in UNC history.
• Led the 2015 team with 102 ground balls, the 10th most in a season in UNC history.
• Ranks third in career face-offs won at Carolina with 455.
• Has 14 games in his career with 15 or more face-off wins.
• Has four of the top 11 individual ground ball totals in a game in Tar Heels' history.
• Amongst active NCAA Division I players he is 10th in career ground balls, ninth in career face-off wins and eighth in career face-off attempts.
Timmy Kelly, Freshman Midfielder, Lutherville, Md.
• Has started four games of the season in the first midfield unit.
• Has run out of the second midfield unit over the past nine games.
• Scored two goals in season opener versus Michigan.
• Recorded goals in back-to-back games against Manhattan and Richmond.
• Had a career-high four points in win over Virginia. Also had a career-high three assists in the victory over the Cavaliers.
Peyton Klawinski, Junior Midfielder, Memphis, Tenn.
• Key reserve in the offensive midfield for Carolina. Can also play attack.
• Has six goals and two assists for eight points.
• Scored a goal in each of the first three games of the season.
• Had a breakout year for the Tar Heels in 2015, being named the squad's most improved player.
• As a scout team player in 2014, he played in four games, scoring three goals. The sophomore midfielder from Memphis, Tenn., was elevated to the first midfield at the start of the 2015 season and responded with 19 goals and three assists for 22 points. Started 13 games last season in the first midfield unit.
• Has seven career multi-goal games and eight career multi-point games.
Jack Lambert, Redshirt Sophomore Long-Stick Defensive Midfielder, Cross River, N.Y.
• Has had a spectacular 2016 season. One of Carolina's leading long stick defensive midfielders.
• Has 25 ground balls this season, including a career high six versus Notre Dame.
• Also had five ground balls versus Richmond, four against Furman and three in the win at Johns Hopkins.
• Missed his freshman year with a knee injury and played in only four games last year.
• Coach Breschi called him one of the most improved players on the team in the fall.
Ryan Macri, Red-shirt Sophomore Defensive, Hamilton, Mass.
• Moved into starting lineup in midseason for three games after injury to Austin Pifani.
• Returned to starting lineup on close defense after Zach Powers suffered a broken arm in game versus Duke. Started ACC games against Virginia, Syracuse and Notre Dame.
• Had three ground balls and a caused turnovers versus Richmond.
• Had first career point with an assist versus Manhattan.
Kyle Mathie, Sophomore Defenseman, Smithtown, N.Y.
• Key player off the bench for the Tar Heels.
• Plays close defense for the Heels and has seen action in 12 games this year.
• Had two caused turnovers and a ground ball in win at Duke.
Jake Matthai, Senior Short-Stick Defensive Midfielder, Baltimore, Md.
• Senior captain.
• 2016 All-ACC selection as short stick defensive midfielder.
• Has played in 11 games. Missed the Johns Hopkins and Richmond games with an ankle injury.
• Has 18 ground balls this season, five in the game versus Michigan and three each in games versus Furman and Hofstra.
• Named ACC Defensive Player of the Week after win over Michigan. Scored a goal versus Wolverines and had five ground balls.
• Had a goal and two ground balls in win over Notre Dame.
• Recorded two assists in win over Furman.
• Had a goal and an assist in the game at Syracuse.
• Had played in 52 successive games in his Tar Heel career before missing the Johns Hopkins game. Altogether has played in all but two games in his Tar Heel career.
William McBride, Sophomore Midfielder, Baltimore, Md.
• One of the key players on the Tar Heel roster. Extremely versatile performer who sees action on wings on face-offs and in short stick defensive midfield if needed.
• Currently running in UNC's second midfield unit.
• Has seen action in 12 games this year.
• Had two goals and an assist in win over Michigan.
• Had a career high four ground balls at Maryland.
• Matched his career high for goals in a game by scoring twice in victory over Virginia.
Austin Pifani, Junior Defenseman, Roslyn, Pa.
• Named to Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List.
• 2016 All-ACC selection on close defense.
• Junior captain.
• Named to preseason All-ACC Team.
• Preseason first-team All-America on close defense by Face-off Yearbook.
• Started all 37 matches on close defense in his career before missing three games due to injury at midseason. Did not see action against UMass, Manhattan and Richmond before returning to starting lineup versus Maryland.
• Has started every game in his career in which he dressed.
• Has 15 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. Matched his career high for caused turnovers in a game with three versus Syracuse.
• Season high for ground balls is four versus Michigan. Had two ground balls and two caused turnovers versus Furman.
• 2015 USILA second-team All-America.
• 2014 USILA honorable mention All-America selection.
Steve Pontrello, Senior Attackman, Marlton, N.J.
• Started in the first midfield unit his first three years before moving to starting attack unit this year.
• 2016 All-ACC selection in the attack.
• Recently named to Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List.
• Leads Carolina in goals with 36 and points with 48.
• Leads all Carolina attackmen in ground balls with 23.
• Has scored on 38 percent of his shots. Has placed 69 percent of his shots on cage.
• Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week and NCAA.com Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a career-high six goals in 17-16 overtime win at Duke on April 1.
• Has recorded hat tricks in eight games this year.
• Has recorded at least one point in all 13 games this season. Has scored goals in 12 of 13 contests.
• Pontrello's 36 goals are just one shy of the 37 he scored in his first three years combined at Carolina.
• Had a then career-high four goals and career high five points in win over Michigan.
• Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after the win over the Wolverines.
• Scored three times in win over Furman.
• Scored three goals in win over Johns Hopkins, all in the last 20 minutes of the contest.
• Had two goals and three assists at UMass and followed that with a then career-high five goals against Manhattan.
• Notched another hat trick in win over Richmond.
• Had four goals and two assists in win over Notre Dame. His six points versus the Fighting Irish matched his career high.
• Shares team lead in man up goals with four.
• In his career he has 18 multi-goal games, four multi-assist games and 26 multi-point games.
Zach Powers, Senior Defenseman, Columbus, Ohio
• Played in all 59 games in his Tar Heel career, the only Tar Heel senior to have done so, before suffering a broken arm when being hit by a shot in the Tar Heels' game at Duke.
• Did not play versus UVA, the first game he ever missed in his UNC career. Also missed games versus Syracuse and Notre Dame.
• Had started all 10 games this season on close defense prior to missing game versus the Cavaliers.
• Has 13 ground balls, including four versus Hofstra.
• Has eight caused turnovers. Had season high two versus Furman and Maryland.
• Played in all 17 games last season, including 11 games as a starting close defenseman.
• Scored the first goal of his career in NCAA Tournament first round win over Colgate.
• Powers had 24 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers last season after having 11 and eight, respectively, in his first two years combined
Jordan Prysko, Redshirt Freshman Attackman, Calgary, Alberta
• Normally the first player off the bench in the attack unit for UNC.
• Has seen action in eight games.
• Scored goals versus Michigan and Furman.
Mark Rizzo, Redshirt Junior Defenseman, Hewlett, N.Y.
• Team captain.
• Key player in long-stick defensive midfield and on man-down unit.
• Has played in eight games this season.
Jack Rowlett, Freshman Defenseman, Burke, Va.
• Has moved into starting lineup as a true freshman in the close defense unit.
• Started 12 games, missing only game at Manhattan when he did not dress.
• Had a tremendous game at Johns Hopkins with six ground balls and two caused turnovers.
• Scored first career goal versus Richmond.
• His 31 ground balls leads the team other than face-off man Stephen Kelly.
• Leads Tar Heels in caused turnovers with 15. Only Tar Heel in double figures in caused turnovers.
• Had five ground balls and season high four caused turnovers versus Massachusetts.
• Had four ground balls in Tar Heels' win over Duke.
• Matched season high for caused turnovers with four against Syracuse.
Shane Simpson, Junior Midfielder, Hamilton, Ontario
• Has been running with first midfield unit since Denver game.
• Has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points.
• His 12 assists are tied for second on the team.
• His 19 points are the most he has had in a season in his career. He had 17 points as a freshman in 2014.
• Has 12 assists this year after having eight assists in his first two years combined.
• Matched career high for assists in a game with two versus Michigan.
• Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance in UNC's 15-11 win at Johns Hopkins. Had a career high for assists with three and points with five versus the Blue Jays.
• Had a goal and two assists in the fourth quarter when the Tar Heels outscored the Blue Jays 6-2 to emerge with a 15-11 victory.
• Matched career high for assists with three versus Denver.
• Scored a key goal late in third quarter as Tar Heels rallied from three-goal deficit late in the third period in win at Duke.
• Against Notre Dame, all three of his points came in the fourth quarter. He assisted on goals by Luke Goldstock at 4:47 and 3:48 of the fourth quarter to pull the Tar Heels within a goal at 15-14. He then tied the game with a goal of his own at 2:56.
Michael Tagliaferri, Redshirt Junior Midfielder, Danville, Calif.
• Starter in the first midfield unit. Played in the second midfield unit as a freshman in 2014 and then was an outstanding player on short stick defensive midfield as a sophomore in 2015.
• 2016 All-ACC selection.
• Has started all 13 games this season in first midfield. Has 22 goals and five assists for 27 points.
• With the Tar Heels trailing Duke 11-8 late in third quarter he scored back-to-back goals to help rally UNC in what was an eventual 17-16 overtime win.
• Fifth on the team both in points with 27 and fifth in goals scored with 22.
• Recorded two goals in win over Furman.
• Matched his career high with three goals in the win at Johns Hopkins. That was his third career hat trick.
• Had another hat trick against Denver.
• Matched career high for assists with two versus Richmond.
• Scored a career high four goals in game at Syracuse.
• Had two goals and an assist in win over Notre Dame.
• Has at least one point in 12 of 13 games.
• Has 10 multi-goal games in his career and 13 multi-point contests.
• His 22 goals are 10 more than he had in his first two years combined at Carolina.
• His 27 points are seven more than the total he had in his first two years combined at UNC.
