The North Carolina men’s lacrosse team attempted to work out the kinks on Saturday but lost to Navy 11-8 in the team’s final pre-season scrimmage.
What happened?
UNC started out strong in the first quarter, rushing out to a 5-1 lead with goals from five different players, before Navy snuck a goal back to make it 5-2 heading into the second quarter.
That’s when things went down hill for the Tar Heels. Navy whipped off four straight goals early in the quarter to wrestle control away from UNC. Simultaneously, UNC stalled on the offensive end, in part due to several Tar Heel turnovers, but also because of some top keeping by Navy goalie Ryan Kern. Midshipmen attacker Jack Ray topped it off with his fifth goal of the half just before the horn to give Navy a 7-5 lead heading into the half.
The third quarter was a defensive battle, with Kern and UNC first-year goalie Jack Pezzula performing well in the crease, both only allowing one goal in the period. UNC was killed in ground balls, however, reducing their chances in the period.
The fourth quarter started out strong for Navy, with two quick goals, but UNC quickly responded to bring the game within two goals with about five minutes left. Top notch goalie work from Kern, however, denied the Tar Heels down the stretch, as they couldn’t put the game within reach.
Who stood out?
First-year midfielder Justin Anderson impressed head coach Joe Breschi in the final scrimmage of the preseason. He had two goals on the day and was an active part of the offense.
Senior midfielder Stephen Kelly was excellent, dominating Navy down the stretch in winning faceoffs while also snagging an assist in the scrimmage. Breschi also noted Kelly’s groundball work was impressive down the stretch, as he snagged nearly half of the team’s groundballs in the game.
