No. 15 MLAX Travels To No. 9 Notre Dame In Thursday Night Lacrosse

Thursday, April 21

South Bend, Ind.

6 PM

North Carolina

Notre Dame

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

No. 15 MLAX Travels To No. 9 Notre Dame In Thursday Night Lacrosse

April 20, 2022 | Men's Lacrosse

CHAPEL HILL - The 15th-ranked North Carolina men's lacrosse team (8-4, 1-3) will travel to South Bend to take on the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-4, 2-1) in a Thursday night showdown at Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium.

Game Information
Opponent: No. 9 Notre Dame (5-4, 2-1 ACC)
Date/Time: Apr. 21, 6 p.m.
Location: Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium, South Bend, Ind.
Watch: ACC Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

Looking Back
Chris Gray scored the game-winner and led the team with six points as the Tar Heels earned the crucial 14-13 win over Syracuse at Dorrance Field.

Chris Gray led the team with five goals and one assist. It is the 12th time in his career that he has scored five or more goals in a game. Nicky Solomon scored three goals to earn his third hat trick of the season. Lance Tillman and Dewey Egan would notch two goals. Tillman would also tie his career-high in assists with three. Jacob Kelly would dish out a team-high four assists. Collin Krieg played great in the cage, making 18 saves with a .581 percentage.

Series History vs. Notre Dame
North Carolina holds an 11-9 advantage all-time against Notre Dame. The teams first met in 1995, with the Tar Heels taking the 11-8 win in Chapel Hill. Last year, the teams faced each other, with UNC taking the 12-10 victory at Dorrance Field. UNC is 2-6 all-time against the Fighting Irish in South Bend.

Coaching Matchup
Joe Breschi is in his 24th season as a head coach and 14th with the Tar Heels, with a 237-132 career record for a .642 winning percentage. Breschi is 145-69 (.678) as North Carolina's head coach. Breschi is 9-14 all-time against Notre Dame.

Head coach Kevin Corrigan is in his 36th season as a head coach and carries a career record of 328-172 (.656) into Thursday's matchup. He is ranked ninth in career wins in division one men's lacrosse. Corrigan is 318-157 overall in 34 seasons at Notre Dame. In 2021 he set the NCAA DI record for most wins at a single school, passing Delaware's Bob Shillinglaw (310 wins). Corrigan is 9-11 all-time against the Tar Heels.

Gray Chasing History
With 392 career points, Chris Gray is now nine points away from breaking the NCAA Division I all-time career point record, currently 400. Gray ranks fourth in the country in points per game (5.92).

Gray is also seven goals away from breaking the UNC single-season record and eight from breaking the UNC career record.

Against Top-10 Foes
When North Carolina and Notre Dame meet Thursday, it will be the 206th time the Tar Heels have played a top-10 opponent since 1993. UNC is 83-123 in the games against top-10 opponents. The Tar Heels are 43-45 against top-10 foes under head coach Joe Breschi. North Carolina is 7-4 when Notre Dame is ranked in the top-10.

The Clearing Game
The Tar Heels currently rank 22nd nationally with a .869 clearing percentage. Notre Dame is currently fourth at .903. The Irish's opponent clearing percentage is .812, second-best in the league and 16th in the country. UNC has played three teams currently ranked in the top-15 in opponent clearing percentage in High Point, Virginia, and Brown.

Pick It Up and You Win
Ground balls have been a key stat in the team's success this season. The Tar Heels are 7-0 when they collect more ground balls than their opponents. They are 1-4 when they tie or lose the ground ball battle.

Tune In
Fans can follow the Tar Heels matchup against Notre Dame with @UNCMensLacrosse on Twitter. The game will air live on ACC Network at 6:00 p.m.