No. 5 Tar Heels Host Bryant Tuesday Morning

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina men's lacrosse team kicks off a four-game home series at Dorrance Field when the Tar Heels host the Bryant Bulldogs at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

No. 5 North Carolina is now 6-0, one of just five NCAA Division I programs still undefeated. Carolina's 6-0 start marks the fifth season that the Tar Heels have opened with six-straight victories under the leadership of head coach Joe Breschi (2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2020) and the 11th time in the history of the program.

Most recently, Carolina downed the Furman Paladins, 18-11 to wrap up a three-game road series on Friday. Junior attackman Chris Gray and senior midfielder Tanner Cook dominated the competition with 16 of the team's 31 points while eight other Tar Heels contributed to the Tar Heels' final score. Gray matched his season-high of nine points with five goals and four assists while Cook scored all five Tar Heel goals in the third quarter before finishing the game with career-best performances in goals (6) and points (7). Cook's six second-half goals are tied for the second most ever by a Tar Heel in a half. Chris Cloutier scored six goals in the first half of the 2016 NCAA semifinal game against Loyola and Drew Habeck scored seven in the first half against Fairfield in 2006.

The Bryant Bulldogs are now 3-3 on the season following a 15-11 win against Stony Brook on Saturday. In the home victory over Stony Brook, Bryant's Marc O'Rourke broke the program's Division I single-game goals record with seven and Luke Caracciolo made a career-high 18 saves. On the road, the Bulldogs are 1-2.

North Carolina leads the all-time series with Bryant, 2-0. Tuesday's matchup marks the first time the two programs will face each other since 2015. Both meetings have ended in one-goal home victories for UNC – in 2010, the Tar Heels won, 5-4 and in 2015, 10-9.

After Bryant, the Tar Heels will host three more teams over the next 12 days – Georgetown on March 14, Dartmouth on March 17 and Maryland on March 21. Carolina will then open up ACC play with back-to-back Thursday night games, staying local for the ACC opener at Duke on March 26 and hosting Virginia on April 2.

HOW TO FOLLOW
The North Carolina men's lacrosse game against Bryant will be aired on ACC Network Extra.

Links to live results and live streams of North Carolina men's lacrosse games are available at GoHeels.com.

Fans can also follow @UNCMensLacrosse on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the meet. UNC Men's Lacrosse is also on Facebook. A recap of games and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of each competition.

Live Results | Watch (ACCNX) | 2020 Schedule | 2020 Roster

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 3 North Carolina men's lacrosse team remain undefeated in the 2020 season after downing the Furman Paladins, 18-11 in Paladin Stadium Friday night for the Tar Heels' sixth-consecutive victory.

Carolina got off to an unusually slow start, scoring just four goals in the first half for its lowest-scoring half of the season. However, senior midfielder Tanner Cook came out firing with a hat trick in the first two minutes of the third period and jump-started a 14-goal second half for the Heels. With a nine-goal fourth quarter, the Tar Heels scored just as many goals in the final 15 minutes as they had through the first 45 for a season-best, quarter performance.

Junior attackman Chris Gray and Cook dominated the competition with 16 of the team's 31 points while eight other Tar Heels contributed to the Tar Heels' final score. Gray matched his season-high of nine points with five goals and four assists while Cook scored all five Tar Heel goals in the third quarter before finishing the game with career-best performances in goals (6) and points (7). Cook's six second-half goals are tied for the second most ever by a Tar Heel in a half. Chris Cloutier scored six goals in the first half of the 2016 NCAA semifinal game against Loyola and Drew Habeck scored seven in the first half against Fairfield in 2006.

Between three face-off midfielders, Carolina went 25 of 32 for its most face-off wins and best face-off winning percentage (.781) of the season. Zac Tucci won the second-most face-offs of his career, winning 20 of 25 attempts for a career-best, single-game winning percentage (.800). Tucci's performance against Furman marks the 12th time a Tar Heel has won 20 or more face-offs in a single game. Last season, Tucci won 21 draws against Furman for the third-most face-off wins. Only three Tar Heels – Shane Walterhoefer (twice), Stephen Kelly (twice) and Todd Oudemool (once) – have won 22 or more face-offs.

One of just seven Division I programs without a loss in the month of February, the Tar Heels remain undefeated with a 6-0 start to the 2020 season. This marks the fifth season that North Carolina has opened with six-straight victories under the leadership of head coach Joe Breschi (2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2020) and the 11th time in the history of the program. Richie Meade and his Paladins fall to 1-5 on the season following back-to-back losses to ACC teams.

Carolina remains undefeated in the all-time series against Furman with seven-straight victories. The Tar Heels finished Friday's game with their largest margin of victory over the Paladins since a 14-6 win at Fetzer Field in 2016.

Now 6-0, the Tar Heels have a quick turnaround before starting its four-game home series at Dorrance Field. Carolina will host Bryant on March 10, Georgetown on March 14, Dartmouth on March 17 and Maryland on March 21 before opening ACC play at Duke on March 26.

Key Moments
» The Tar Heels and the Paladins got off to a slow start with Carolina scoring just two goals while holding Furman scoreless in the first quarter. The first points of the game did not come until over halfway through the period when Chris Gray assisted Brian Cameron before later scoring his own goal off an assist from Lance Tillman.
» With another low-scoring period, Carolina scored just two more goals while Furman put up three to bring its deficit at halftime to one goal. Tillman found Jacob Kelly for his second assist of the game, a career high, while Henry Schertzinger and Alex Trippi connected for the other Tar Heel goal of the quarter.
» Tanner Cook dominated the third quarter, opening the half with a hat trick in the first two minutes and finishing the period with all five Tar Heel goals. Cook's fourth and fifth goals were scored on assists from Chris Gray. Cook would go on to end the game with a career-high, six goals and a career-best, seven points, while Gray matched his season-high point total with nine (5g, 4a).
» Carolina ran away with an explosive 16-point fourth quarter, scoring as many goals in the final 15 minutes as it had through the first 45. Gray scored four goals and assisted Henry Schertzinger on another, Alex Trippi picked up a goal and two assists and five other Tar Heels contributed to the other seven points in the period.

Notable Team Achievements
» The Tar Heels totaled 18 goals – zero man-up – and 13 assists for 31 points on 44 shots. The team also combined for 39 ground balls and six Heels forced eight turnovers in its sixth win of the season.
» UNC is undefeated in its seven-game series against Furman, and the Tar Heels' 18 goals against the Paladins are their second most in the history of the series. Carolina scored 19 goals in its first two matchups against Furman, winning 19-3 in 2014 and 19-4 in 2015.
» Friday's 29 combined goals between the two teams also tied for the most in series history. Carolina and Furman last totaled 29 goals in 2018 when UNC won 15-14 in overtime in Chapel Hill.
» Between three face-off midfielders, Carolina went 25 of 32 at the X for its most face-off wins and best face-off winning percentage (.781) of the season.

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Players Mentioned

Brian Cameron

Chris Cloutier

Tanner Cook

Chris Gray

Jacob Kelly

Henry Schertzinger

Lance Tillman

Alex Trippi

Zac Tucci

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University of North Carolina Athletics