After losing the opening faceoff and allowing Michigan to score the first goal of the game, sophomore attacker Chris Cloutier ripped the ball into the net, sparking a 5-0 run for the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team in under four minutes.
The run helped fuel a 20-10 win for UNC in its season opener — and Cloutier emerged as the dark horse of the Tar Heels’ offense.
The Ontario native played in just two games during the 2015 season, amassing just one goal.
On Saturday, he posted five.
“Cloutier’s a bear. He’s a monster,” Coach Joe Breschi said. “You can’t cover him with the short stick.”
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound attackman was integral to his team’s offensive explosion. After the graduation of Joey Sankey, Jimmy Bitter and Chad Tutton — three of UNC’s top four scorers from a year ago — uncertainty surrounded the unit.
“We talked about it as we started the season that there’s going to be a lot of new guys on the field,” Breschi said.
“And we’re not trying to have them do anything they’re not capable of doing.”