University of North Carolina Athletics
From Fetzer To Finley: The Dual Trophies Moment
July 30, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Featured Writers
By Dave Lohse, Associate Athletic Communications Director
Editor's Note: Dave Lohse has served as the sports information director for the men's lacrosse team at the University of North Carolina since 1979. He served as the sports information director for the women's lacrosse team beginning with its creation in 1994 through the 1999 season.
Part One of this column was published on Thursday, July 28.
As dawn broke on Friday, May 27, preparations for the big weekend in Philadelphia were well underway. The Tar Heel men had the earliest practice slot at Lincoln Financial Field and after dealing with over an hour's worth of media obligations post practice (things had changed a lot since their last final 4 appearance in 1993) they were back in the hotel for lunch and film study by 12:30 p.m.
Shortly thereafter, the women's team loaded its bus and headed to Talen Energy Stadium, home of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, for its semifinal game against 11th-ranked Penn State. The Nittany Lions were determined to show they belonged in a final 4 field that included powerhouses Maryland, Carolina and Syracuse. They were appearing in the semifinals for the first time since 1999 and they used the opportunity to take the favored Tar Heels to the limit. It was a game of runs. UNC jumped out to a 3-0 lead but Penn State ran off five goals in just 2:58 to take a 5-3 lead with 21:47 left in the first half. At that point, UNC head coach Jenny Levy switched from senior starter Megan Ward in the goal to junior Caylee Waters. It was a tough decision to make about a senior. But it righted the ship. Waters would go on to make eight saves while allowing just six goals, outdueling Penn State netminder Emi Smith who made just four saves on 16 shots on goal by Carolina.
Carolina would score five of the next seven goals in the game. Nursing an 8-7 lead, the Tar Heels went on a four-goal run over 10 minutes to take what seemed to be a comfortable 12-7 advantage with just under 15 minutes to play. Carly Reed scored her fifth goal of the match, tying her career high for goals in a game, to start the run and Sammy Jo Tracy scored back-to-back unassisted goals to cap it. But the Nittany Lions would not go away. Three successive free position shot goals cut the Tar Heel lead to two and Madison Carter then scored to make it a 12-11 game with 7:12 to play. UNC won the ensuing draw control and successfully killed off nearly six minutes of clock before turning the ball over with 1:33 to play. But UNC's defense held tough and Waters made her eighth save of the game on a shot by Steph Lazo with 50 seconds left to snuff out the final Penn State scoring threat. Carolina was headed to its third national championship game appearance in four seasons. Waiting for the Tar Heels would be undefeated Maryland, which had eradicated Syracuse 19-9 in the other semifinal game. The score did not reflect how lopsided the game had actually been, something hard to say about a contest with a 10-goal margin. UNC had defeated Syracuse twice by one-goal margins earlier in the year so the favorite/underdog roles were well defined heading into Sunday's final.
Next up came semifinal Saturday for the men. Had the seeds held, this was supposed to be a matchup with defending national champion Denver and Notre Dame, which had been in four of the previous six Championship Weekends. But Denver lost in the first round and UNC eliminated the third-seeded Fighting Irish 13-9 in the quarterfinals. Waiting for Carolina was offensively explosive Loyola just four years removed from its 2012 NCAA championship when the Greyhounds finished 18-1 and featured a freshman named Nikko Pontrello, the older brother of Tar Heel senior attackman Steve Pontrello. Loyola pounded Duke in the first round and methodically took down Towson in the second round.
The 33,133 fans at the Linc were treated to an offensive onslaught from both sides on a muggy day. A defensive coordinator's nightmare that ended in an 18-13 Tar Heel victory was easier to handle for UNC's DC Chris Feifs as he emerged with another game to prepare for. If you were a Tar Heel fan, hopefully you did not arrive late. Carolina scored on nine of its 12 shots in the first quarter. Sophomore attackman Chris Cloutier had a hat trick by the end of the opening period.
A 15-second span early in the second quarter epitomized the play of Carolina in its post-season beast mode. With 12 minutes left in the period, Pontrello fed Cloutier on a fast break to make it 10-2. Stephen Kelly, who won 19 face-offs on the day, won the ensuing draw and assisted Luke Goldstock to make it 11-2 eight seconds later. It took just seven more seconds for Kelly to win another draw and pass to Cloutier for a 12-2 lead. For all intents and purposes it was over at that point. But Loyola is too well-coached and too proud to give up. It pulled to within six goals in the third quarter before Cloutier notched back-to-back goals to make it an eight-goal margin again. A four-goal run by the Greyhounds in the opening nine minutes of the fourth quarter pulled them within 16-12 but Cloutier tallied his ninth goal of the game with 5:32 left and any remaining momentum Loyola had mustered was blunted. Cloutier, who had played in only two games in his freshman season in 2015, was the talk of college lacrosse that Saturday and for good reason. His nine goals were a UNC school record, the most ever scored in a Championship Weekend game and they matched the most goals ever scored in any NCAA Tournament game. Later that afternoon top-ranked Maryland ran its winning streak to 16 games as it defeated Brown 15-14 in overtime in the other semifinal contest. It also marked the ninth straight Maryland win by a single goal. Remember those two streaks as they would be broken just two days later.
On Sunday morning at the Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill Hotel, the Tar Heel men's team was at breakfast at 9 a.m. Twenty minutes later, Tar Heel head coach Joe Breschi shooed his team into the lobby where en masse 45 players plus staff formed a tunnel for the women's team to walk through on their way to the front door and bus. The last person through the line was Levy who sheepishly took in the love but was obviously touched by the gesture. Within a few hours she would turn in perhaps the best single game coaching performance of her career.
It's no doubt that the Maryland women's team was viewed as an overwhelming favorite heading into the game. But Carolina had been there before, playing the Terps in title games in 2013 and 2015. That the Tar Heels would go on to beat the Terrapins 13-7 for the title may not have been particularly shocking but the manner in which Carolina stifled the high powered Maryland offense did have tongues wagging. The tournament's Most Valuable Offensive player Aly Messinger tied her career high with six points and senior goalkeeper Megan Ward, who had been pulled early in Friday's semifinal game, made a career high 14 saves. Maryland is certainly thankful it will never face Ward again. As a freshman in 2013, she played all 73 minutes as Carolina beat the Terps 13-12 in triple overtime in the title game, a performance highlighted by several late game saves.
On this championship Sunday, there were no such dramatics needed. After an early Terp goal, UNC ran off six markers in a row. Messinger assisted on four of the six goals and Carolina led 6-1 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. Maryland rebounded to cut the Tar Heel lead to two goals at halftime and after it scored two of the first three goals of the second half UNC's lead was a precarious 7-6 with 23:24 left in the game. Carly Reed stopped the bleeding with 20:39 left and Messinger notched her second goal of the game 15 seconds later. Carolina went on to score three more goals in a five-goal run with Devin Markinson notching just her second goal of the season with 10:23 left to make it 12-6. All that was left was to kill off the final 10 minutes, pass out the championship T-shirts and hats, grab that precious NCAA trophy and pose for pictures.
After the game was over, the entire travel party for the women's team was given the option of flying home on the NCAA charter or staying for the men's game the next day, which meant facing an eight-hour bus ride home after the title game. Eight people had family commitments on Memorial Day but the remainder stayed. They were rewarded with prime seats in Carolina's designated seating section. The team brought the trophy with it and Levy was there to be interviewed live on ESPN at halftime. Also in attendance were all but two members of Carolina's 1991 NCAA championship team, an undefeated 17-0 squad that would be honored at halftime on the 25th anniversary of its tremendous accomplishment. The 1991 squad had gathered the previous day at the home of that season's National Player of the Year Dennis Goldstein and it was like no time had really passed. The players honored the memory of Steve Muir, who had passed away earlier in the year, and did their best to connect with Robin Cornish, who lives in his native Australia. Among the members of that team was Dan Levy, proud husband of the latest NCAA championship winning coach in UNC history.
As the Carolina bus headed to Lincoln Financial Field, the access road leading to the stadium was packed on both sides by several hundred Tar Heel fans who arrived early to tailgate and welcome the post-season darlings of 2016 to their ultimate destiny. Some brandished brooms hoping for a Carolina sweep of the championships. An image I will never forget is Joey Sankey, beverages in hand, on the shoulders of Walker Chafee.
Game time came and the Tar Heels bolted to a 4-0 lead just 4:10 into the contest. Dodging goals by Luke Goldstock and Chris Cloutier and a pair of time, room, shoot lasers by sophomore midfielder Brian Cannon built the lead. Maryland would answer those four goals within six minutes but the significance of those four early goals by Carolina cannot be overstated. The Terps are adept at playing with an early lead. They can impose their pace on the game and with their overall talent and superb goalkeeping stifle opponents. In the regular season matchup in College Park between the two teams Maryland got out in front early and maintained a steady two and three-goal advantage until it pulled ahead by five goals in the fourth quarter in an eventual 11-8 victory.
While the Terps came back against that early UNC lead on Championship Monday they were never able to gain much separation from Carolina. The lead see sawed between the teams before Maryland's Connor Kelly scored with 7:49 to play to put the Terps up 13-11. In retrospect, it's somewhat hard to fathom that would be Maryland's last goal of the game. Carolina rallied with an extra-man goal by Luke Goldstock with 3:53 to play and a tying goal by Patrick Kelly 31 seconds later. That set up a wild final few minutes of regulation. Carolina would not get another shot off, turning the ball over three times. With Maryland owning all but a few seconds of possession, the Tar Heel defense stood on its head in its resolve to not yield the deciding goal. Colin Heacock hit the cross bar from two yards away with 1:33 to play and Tar Heel goalkeeper Brian Balkam stonewalled Matt Rambo right on the doorstep with six seconds to play.
The game was headed to overtime when a flag was thrown at the other end of the field with 3.9 seconds to play. After Maryland's Mike McCarney pushed Goldstock, the Tar Heel attackman responded and as is often the case the guy that retaliates get flagged. Goldstock was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct.
At the time it seemed a dire turn of events for Carolina. But looking back, it may have been the best thing that happened for Carolina. Hear me out. With the penalty Maryland held the ball for the final 3.9 seconds, meaning there would be no face-off to begin overtime and the Terps would possess the ball at the beginning of the four minute extra session. UNC had struggled at the X all day, winning only 11 of 30 draws. Behind Stephen Kelly, Carolina had excelled in the face-off circle all year. But, another of its strengths had been its man-down unit that ranked in the Top 10 in the country statistically throughout the campaign. UNC had plenty of time to choose its personnel and map out its options as it come out from the break after regulation. The Terps passed the ball around for a little over 30 seconds before Connor Kelly let loose from 10 yards out on the left side. UNC defenseman Zach Powers dove like Superman towards the shooter. He distracted him just enough to bother the follow through and Balkam positioned his body perfectly to take the brunt of the impact of the ball. As the ball fell to the ground he clamped it and started the clear. Passes by Austin Pifani to Jake Matthai to Tate Jozokos led to a successful clear before Carolina called timeout.
UNC ran its offense out of the timeout perfectly. Eventually Timmy Kelly found Cloutier open near the goal and it appeared the Canadian Hulk might end things right then and there. But Terp goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr made a once-in-a-lifetime save (it seriously was that good) and in the scrum afterwards Cloutier stepped in the crease, giving possession to the Terps. But just after the whistle blew McCarney was whistled for a dead ball crosschecking foul against Goldstock and Carolina got possession and would be man up for a minute. The irony of the whole situation was overwhelming. UNC ran a hidden ball trick play for Goldstock but his shot was wide and Pontrello was a half step closest to the ball as it went out of bounds, retaining possession for the Tar Heels. The Heels passed the ball around the perimeter and eventually Michael Tagliaferri's skip pass to Cloutier found him hands free. Cloutier went low-to-low just inside the left goal post. He placed it where no goalkeeper on Earth could have saved it.
I have so many memories of what ensued post championship-winning goal. As the ESPN cameras captured the Carolina cheering section right after the goal, the images were of unbridled emotions released in sheer joy. I will never forget what it looked like. That image is seared in my memory.
Ryan Macri climbed into the stands to find relatives. Breschi searched for his wife and daughters in one of the sky boxes. Jack Rowlett, red faced with emotion, carried Balkam in his arms towards the Carolina section. Timmy Kelly was all smiles searching for his friends in the stands. Fellow Canadian Shane Simpson ran with Cloutier, raw emotion on his face as he realizes what has been accomplished. Tate Jozokos settles in next to Cloutier in front of the stands, his eye black smeared, his resolve fierce like the warrior he plays like every game.
I could go on and on with the pictures in my mind but I'll close with three. Two of my favorite Tar Heels are sophomore midfielders Mike D'Alessandro and Patrick McCormick. They have both battled injury after injury since their arrivals in Chapel Hill. But they don't complain. They work hard. They show up for rehab. They are simply great teammates. D'Alessandro, who sat with Cloutier on the bus every road trip in their freshman year in 2015, is a Jersey boy. We bonded from the get go as we are both big fans of the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks. McCormick is Long Island tough, a Hicksville boy of middle class origins who reminds me so much of another of my favorite Tar Heels, Bobby McAuley, Class of 2009. He is unfailingly polite and talkative.
Just weeks before, with neither able to play, I remember watching from the press box at Marquette as they helped the athletic training staff and team manager with pregame and postgame duties. They are the kind of kids always willing to help out. Fast forward to Memorial Day. As Tar Heel players rush the field, the championship trophy ends up in the hands of Mike D'Alessandro. On a dead sprint he rushes over to make sure it gets to Cloutier in time for him to carry it to the UNC seating section. A couple of minutes later, the TV cameras cut to McCormick hoisting the hardware high above his head, thrusting it in the air, a look of sheer happiness etched on his face.
As things began to calm down, which was a relative term indeed, UNC captain Mark Rizzo carried the men's trophy into the stands where Molly Hendrick of the women's team waited with their trophy. UNC athletic department photographer Jeff Camarati seized the image for posterity and it accompanies this article.
What a weekend it was. Like myself, I am sure all of you reading this will remember where you were when these championships were won and will have equally thrilling memories. As I publish this on GoHeels.com, I still have one more thing to do before Saturday ends. As I have done every day since Memorial Day, it's time to watch overtime again. I simply don't want to let it go.
