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(04/12/10 3:10am)
The Maryland women’s lacrosse team has to be growing weary of facing ACC rival North Carolina. Led by Kristen Taylor’s four goals and goaltender Logan Ripley’s career-high 13 saves, the No. 3 Tar Heels defeated the previously undefeated No. 2 Terrapins 13-9 Saturday afternoon at Fetzer Field.The UNC (11-1, 3-1 ACC) victory handed Maryland (12-1, 3-1) only its second loss in its last 35 games, the other also to the Tar Heels in last year’s national semifinal.“What was nice about this game is they’ve had a lot of, I guess you could say excuses about they didn’t play well, they didn’t show up to the final four,” UNC senior defender Kristen Carr said. “So it was really awesome for our team to come out and to make a statement and be like, no, this is who we are.”UNC led 6-4 going into the halfway point after the two teams played a tight first 30 minutes that featured great defense and fantastic goaltending by both teams. Ripley made eight first-half saves, and Maryland’s Brittany Dipper had five of her own.At the start of the second half, UNC began to increase its lead. The Tar Heels were able to score the first three goals of the half due in large part to their ability to control possession off the draw. Carr’s work on the draws led to a 15-9 draw control possession for UNC in the game.“We’ve really been practicing the draw this year throughout the whole season and we’ve really made it an emphasis,” Carr said.UNC’s lead swelled to six with less than 10 minutes to play, but the Terps did not quit, scoring three straight to cut the lead to three at 12-9.With 4:45 left, UNC’s Laura Zimmerman was able to get off a pass while falling to Taylor, who ripped a shot from 10 yards out to give the Tar Heels a 13-9 lead that would eventually be the final.“I thought it was a really important goal actually because I think up by three is fool’s gold,” UNC coach Jenny Levy said. “I think it’s anyone’s game still if you’re up by three.”While the offense was key in putting the game away, it was defense and goaltending that allowed the Tar Heels to take down the undefeated Terps.“Our focus on (defense) was to stick together as a unit and just not to give up,” Carr said. “Maryland has a powerhouse offense, and we were able to stop them.”Ripley was key in stopping the vaunted offense, making numerous close saves by stuffing Maryland players.“It’s always nice to come up with those saves,” Ripley said. “That’s something we do every day in practice as part of the warm-ups, so I think getting those shots a lot really helps.”With the victory, UNC is expected to move to No. 2 in the polls but will have to work to maintain that spot as they face No. 5 Duke on Wednesday and then travel to play defending champion No. 1 Northwestern on Sunday.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/12/10 2:18am)
For defender Meredith Newton, Saturday’s much-anticipated home date with No. 2 Maryland was a bit of a mixed blessing.While the junior would only earn her second start of the season, she also had the unenviable task of marking Karri Ellen Johnson, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer.With a little help from her teammates, Newton was able to keep Johnson under wraps through most of the contest, as the Tar Heel defense conceded just nine goals — well below the 14.75 the Terrapins had averaged prior to Saturday — in a 13-9 victory at Fetzer Field.Although Newton started 18 of 21 games last season, she has mostly come off the bench for the Tar Heels this year after coach Jenny Levy converted former midfielder Kristen Carr into a defender.But Levy felt that Newton’s patience and feel for the game made her the best candidate to stymie the efforts of Maryland’s most dangerous weapon.“I just thought Meredith was our smartest defender to play on her because it really is not a physical battle,” Levy said of her decision to sit regular starter Katy Fitzgerald in favor of Newton. “It’s more of a mental battle.”Though Johnson did manage to reach her 2.92 goals per game scoring average by notching three goals, one came from a free position shot after she drew a foul from UNC defender Taylor Chumney after dispossessing Chumney deep in the Tar Heel zone. Another came after Newton had switched off to cover another Maryland attacker.Newton stuck with Johnson for nearly the entire game, making sure that the majority of Johnson’s attempts to score were of the harassed and hurried variety. In the event that Johnson was able to get a clean look at the goal, Newton was fortunate to be backed up by one of the nation’s best goalkeepers, senior Logan Ripley.On her Senior Day, the 2009 National Goalkeeper of the Year offered yet another superlative effort. Ripley made 13 saves, tying a career high, including a pair of point-blank stops that prevented Maryland from tying the game at four midway through the first half.“Logan was amazing,” Newton said. “Having her in the cage gives us so much more confidence, because we know she’s got our back.”Newton was also pivotal in helping the rest of the back line handle an extremely physical Maryland attack unit. With the Tar Heels clinging to a 6-4 lead late in the first half, Maryland’s Laura Merrifield drew a blocking foul after a collision with a still-moving Carr and sent the UNC defender sprawling.But on the ensuing free position attempt, Newton stripped the ball from Merrifield, allowing UNC’s Mia Hurrin to scoop up the ground ball and preserve the Tar Heels’ two-goal advantage.“We’re not teaching dirty play, but we are teaching tough play,” Levy said.After the game, Ripley found her trusty defender on the sidelines and engaged her in a long celebratory hug.“You did so good!” Ripley told Newton.It’s unlikely anyone would say otherwise.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/09/10 4:07am)
Every day at practice, freshman midfielders Kara Cannizzaro, Emily Garrity and Jessica Griffin help lug the team’s goal cages to and from Navy Field. Although this sort of chore is one asked of rookie lacrosse players everywhere, these freshmen are there for more than just grunt work.With the imminent departure of All-ACC senior midfielders Megan Bosica and Jenn Russell, coach Jenny Levy’s high-energy newcomers are putting in what she likes to call “mental minutes” in preparation for the more prominent roles they will take on next season.If all goes according to plan, they won’t be carrying cages anymore — they’ll be carrying the team.There’s no doubt these freshmen have big shoes to fill. Bosica and Russell are both captains along with fellow senior attacker Kristen Taylor and were named third and first team All-America, respectively, last season.What’s more, they are winners, having presided over some of the most successful seasons in the program’s 14-year history, including last year’s run to the program’s first ever national championship game. But if anyone is equipped to take the reins, it’s this trio of Under Armour All-Americans.“We do a really good job in our recruiting process of finding top talent,” Levy said. “We’re really confident in what we do.”That confidence is shared by the players themselves. All three described themselves as having strong personalities, and they share an intensely competitive nature that drew Levy’s attention while they were in high school.Sometimes, however, this competitiveness can cause problems, as it did during the team’s distance runs at fall practice. When Cannizzaro and Griffin, both of whom ran cross country in high school, would consistently finish near the front of the pack during the first week of practice, Garrity became increasingly frustrated.“‘All those guys who ran cross country, they have an edge,’” Levy recalled Garrity telling her after practice one day. “‘I don’t know how to do what they’re doing right now on the cross country course.’”Where a lesser competitor might have seen her teammates’ prior experience as an excuse to give up, Garrity instead saw room for improvement. By November, she had won her first distance contest.“There’s only so many spots on the field, so everyone pushes each other every single day,” Garrity said. “We’re also very encouraging. We’re very supportive of each other, so when someone does well, everyone’s happy for them.”For a group of hyper-competitive athletes struggling for playing time, the three are remarkably close friends off the field. Cannizzaro and Griffin live together in a room they’ve dubbed “the Lax Pad” in reference to its lacrosse-themed decor. There, Garrity is a frequent visitor for “Friends” marathons and “Grey’s Anatomy” nights.When the trio went out to dinner with the rest of the team’s freshmen a few weeks ago, their laughter drew stares from other customers.“We’re kind of weird,” Griffin said. “We’re fun, though.”Although the laughs are occasionally broken up by the sorts of arguments you’d expect from a group of women who are constantly in competition, they said things always turn out all right in the end.“Sometimes we’ll get a little mad, and there’ll be a little pushing and then a little yelling at each other,” Cannizzaro added. “But then we walk away and cool down, and we’re good.”They also spend a good deal of time around the team’s seniors, who have taken an interest in preparing their future replacements for their eventual departure. More than anything else, Levy said she hopes her seniors will be able to pass down their work ethic to the next generation.“Jenn Russell, Kristen Taylor and ‘Cookie’ Carr — every day they’re physically and mentally focused, prepared and competing at a really high level and demanding that of others,” Levy said.The veterans have helped their protégées adjust to college life off the field as well. From the day the freshmen arrived on campus, the seniors have welcomed them with open arms — offering everything from car rides to advice on which classes to take.“They’re great people, and they’re a great addition to our team,” Russell said. “We’re happy that they came here.”So far, the freshmen have validated Russell’s praise. Garrity, a highly-touted recruit from Rutledge, Pa., has parlayed superb lacrosse instincts into a spot in the starting lineup. Although she has not been expected to score given the potency of the offensive weapons surrounding her, Garrity has still managed to find the back of the net 12 times in 11 games.“Some of the stuff that she naturally does is something that some kids never learn in four years,” Levy said.Both Cannizzaro and Griffin have received significant playing time off the bench this season. Cannizzaro has been commended by Levy for her scrappy play and leads the team with 12 caused turnovers.Griffin’s game is the least polished of the three, in part due to the relatively little amount of coaching she received in her hometown of Sudbury, Mass. But her size, speed and strength offer her an opportunity to make up this ground rather quickly.In practice, she has tied junior attacker Corey Donohoe for the highest eight-meter shooting percentage on the team, a feat Levy said she has never seen before from a freshman.“Athletically, she’s just a freak of nature,” Levy said. “She moves, she’s big, she’s strong.”But there’s work yet to be done. Russell said the freshmen are still adjusting to playing defense at the college level, where the opposition is stronger and faster than the players they took on in high school. Levy wants them to get better at moving the ball through the air instead of trying to run past defenders.“We’re trying to hold them accountable, to not allow them to make too many errors of the same kind,” Levy said.Although they are held to high standards, the next generation of North Carolina midfielders still comes back every day to drag the goals out onto the field before practice and pick the balls up off it at the end. In between, they push one another to get a little bit better every time out, logging game experience and “mental minutes” all along the way.“Sometimes they walk off and they’re a little frustrated,” Levy said. “And there’s other times they walk off, and they feel like they’ve gotten on another rung of the ladder where they’re like, ‘OK, I’ve got that one. I can move on to the next step.’”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/05/10 4:42am)
In what has been a regular occurrence this season, the No.3 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team put on a clinic Friday at Fetzer Field. This time, the victim was Virginia Tech, as the Tar Heels obliterated the Hokies 19-3 and extended their home unbeaten streak to six.Prior to Friday’s contest, Virginia Tech (4-8, 0-3) had yet to defeat the Tar Heels in 14 attempts, dating back to 1996. From the very beginning, UNC (10-1, 2-1 ACC) made it painfully clear to their opponents that the 15th time was not going to be the charm.The Tar Heels built a 5-0 lead inside of the game’s first 10 minutes and tallied 10 consecutive goals before the Hokies answered with one of their own late in the first half. Ten minutes into the second half, coach Jenny Levy was already pulling her starters.“It was really nice to be able to reward our second team for the hard work that they’ve put in and encourage them to get better,” said Levy. “We put them out in real competition so they can see what they need to work on to get to the next level.”By the looks of it, the first team is already there.The team’s 19 goals were scored by eight different Tar Heels, four of whom — Kristen Taylor, Corey Donohoe, Laura Zimmerman and Becky Lynch — had three goals apiece. Donohoe was particularly impressive, earning four assists with sharp passes from the feeder position behind the opposition’s goal.“Corey has a great game every game,” Taylor said. “She’s a great finisher, but she always keeps her head up looking for the open pass.”Both of these abilities were showcased during a two-minute stretch late in the first half. With her back to the goal, Donohoe faked a step to her right, then spun left and scored to put UNC ahead 9-0.Shortly after, she caught a flip pass from Lynch behind the goal and found a streaking Zimmerman in front of the net to give UNC a 10-goal lead.Though it is easy to be distracted by the team’s array of offensive weaponry, UNC’s defense Friday was just as good, if not better, than its offense. The three Virginia Tech goals are the fewest the Tar Heels have given up all season.“They have done, all season, a great job of just patiently waiting for the ball to come back down there and turning it over as soon as it comes down,” Taylor said. “They communicated all over the field, and they played really intense.”Though the Tar Heels have yet to win a home game by less than five goals this season, things will get a little more difficult in the weeks to come.During this stretch, the Tar Heels will host No. 2 Maryland, the last visiting team to win at Fetzer Field, and No. 5 Duke, which handed UNC a 14-4 defeat in last year’s ACC Tournament.Then UNC will travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on the same Northwestern team that pummeled the Tar Heels in last year’s national championship game.Despite the grueling nature of the Tar Heels’ late-season schedule, Levy is excited to see how her team will stack up against the nation’s best.“They’re great challenges for us,” she said. “They’re all great teams, and if you want to be really good and you want to be great and to be the best, it’s a great measure to see where we are.” Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/05/10 4:00am)
During Friday’s game against Virginia Tech, the North Carolina women’s lacrosse team did not hesitate to share the wealth.And there certainly was a lot of it to share.The depth on offense shined in UNC’s 19-3 win against the Hokies. Eight different Tar Heels had goals in the matchup, and seven of them had two or more.“This team doesn’t care who scores,” coach Jenny Levy said. “They’re very unselfish. A lot of kids can feed, and a lot of kids can score. And we’re going to try to take the best shooting opportunity possible, whoever that may be.”Sunday’s 16-2 win at Old Dominion marked the third game in a row Corey Donohoe has led the team in scoring. The 5-foot-8 junior had three goals and a career-high four assists against Virginia Tech.Posting 10, the Tar Heels had more assisted goals against Virginia Tech than they had against any other opponent all season. The previous season-high was six in multiple wins.“I think we did a great job handling the ball, keeping possession,” senior Kristen Taylor said. “When you’re moving the ball around like that, assists just come naturally.”Taylor, who is second this season in scoring after Donohoe with 27 goals, was one of four Tar Heels who had three against the Hokies.Levy was elated to show the offensive depth by playing the entire bench during the game. The starting lineup was absent for the final 20 minutes of play.“Other programs will keep their stars in and you’ll see more high scoring,” Levy said. “But we don’t do that. We wanted to get our other guys out and give some credit to the other kids.”Passing the ball around is something the Tar Heels have done easily all season. And with so many different offensive threats on the field, it’s hard for them to go wrong.In the first 10 games so far this season, North Carolina has averaged just less than eight scoring contributors per game.“You try and get everyone their fair share of the ball and give everyone a chance to shine,” Donohoe said. “It pumps us up so much when other girls score who don’t normally score.”So far this season, the Tar Heels have been seeing double — double digits, that is.The 14-point win over Old Dominion was the 11th straight double-digit score for UNC this season.“Any time you get in the flow of people scoring from all over the place and a lot of people scoring, it’s a great thing because everyone has confidence on the field,” Taylor said. “When we get in hard games, hopefully we can implement the same kind of intensity.”Both Levy and the Tar Heels are hoping that the weekend’s strong offensive display will give them confidence against a tough schedule ahead. But for Donohoe, there’s no question.“When we play at such a high level, it definitely carries over into the next game,” she said. “It really brings our confidence up to know what we can do.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/05/10 3:58am)
Billy Bitter led the No. 3 Tar Heels to their 10th straight win with a convincing 11-7 decision against No. 14 Johns Hopkins. Bitter recorded an early hat trick and added another goal later in the game to help ease the loss of goal-scorer Thomas Wood, who watched from the sideline after injuring his hand in practice.But the Tar Heels won with both defense and offense, controlling every aspect of the game. On the defensive side, UNC goalkeeper led with nine saves.With the win, UNC is now 10-0 for the first time since 1991 when the Tar Heels went a perfect 16-0 and won the national championship.
(03/26/10 4:33am)
Three-time All-American attackman Harper Peterson might as well have been the only man left on the field.Peterson and the rest of the 1970 North Carolina men’s lacrosse team were after more than just the shot that would transform a game tied at 7-7 into a UNC victory. This was a chance to give UNC lacrosse a national name.Watching as Peterson cradled the ball and sprinted toward Washington and Lee’s goal with full force, his teammates fled from his path. Instructed by their coach, Frederick O. Mueller, to “clear out and have Peterson go one-on-one with the defenseman,” the UNC team moved left and out of his way.As if on cue, Washington and Lee’s defensemen followed.With only a single player standing between Peterson and the game-winning goal, he dodged the Generals’ last wall of defense and fired the exact shot he needed.The goal sealed an 8-7 win that helped transform the team into the program’s first truly successful squad. A South Atlantic Division title and North Carolina’s first top-10 ranking at No. 7 were announced less than two weeks later, after the team routed Duke 20-5.Now, 40 years later, that team is coming home to Fetzer Field. Reuniting to celebrate its accomplishments as the lacrosse program’s earliest storied team, the 1970 team will be honored at halftime tomorrow as the current No. 3 Tar Heels (8-0) take on No. 4 Maryland (6-0).Understudy dominanceStepping onto what was a rocky field behind Craige Residence Hall, a group of freshmen lacrosse players met for the very first time in 1967. There was nothing offered for the players other than the game itself.“It was not like it is today, where it’s a head coach and maybe three assistant coaches, and the players are recruited,” back-up goalie Bob Manekin, the organizer behind the 40th reunion, said. “We just showed up.”The freshmen who later made up the senior-laden roster on the 1970 team began practicing for their five-game season that was separate from that of the varsity program due to North Carolina’s regulations: No freshmen could play on the varsity team.And in 1967, that might not have been such a bad thing. While the freshman earned a perfect 5-0 record, the varsity team didn’t win any of its games.“We scrimmaged them a lot,” midfielder Andy Scott said. “If we scrimmaged them a day or two before their games, we were basically told to go easy and not score on them. “But it was pretty interesting. We did quite well, because we had some great players. We didn’t want to demoralize them before their games.”Piecing it togetherMueller, who still works for UNC in the exercise and sports science department, led the team depending on his athletic and coaching abilities — in a completely different sport.After playing football for UNC, he joined the football team’s coaching staff while completing graduate work and was named head coach of the varsity lacrosse program in 1969. Mueller had never played lacrosse.But a highly accomplished All-American Navy defenseman showed up in 1970 to make up for Mueller’s lack of personal experience. Captain Vincent Anania of the NROTC — Elizabeth Edwards’ father — volunteered to assist Mueller, adding plenty of personal experience in the game to Mueller’s athletic instincts.And adding to that extensive knowledge were the players themselves. Peterson and starting goalie Peter Kramer each were named All-Americans three years in a row, and Kramer was named the nation’s best goalie in 1969.The two combined to lead the team to a 9-2 finish in 1970, including an undefeated record in division play, which earned them the rights to North Carolina’s first championship.“At the end of four years, we had totally turned around Carolina lacrosse so people had heard of the sport,” Manekin said.“They didn’t scratch their heads, and the lacrosse game wasn’t dismissed as a bunch of prep school losers. We were 9-2 and could compete with anyone in the country.”HomecomingThe team comes together this weekend to both celebrate and commemorate. The 23 returning 1970 veterans are eager to see what coach Joe Breschi and former coaches, including UNC Hall of Famer Willie Scroggs, have made of the program.The 1970 team, with hand-me-down football jerseys hanging off their backs, struggled to add legitimacy to their non-revenue sport’s program.“Even though the football team gave used cleats to North Carolina high schools, we had to go out and provide our own shoes,” Mankein said. “I think we got two sticks and a pair of gloves and a helmet issued to us, and other than that, we did a lot of this on our own.”Recent teams can tell a completely different story. Experience, valued leadership and standout players have added four national championships to the program’s list of achievements.But those accomplishments stay grounded in North Carolina lacrosse’s history — one that some people could argue truly begins in 1970.“We just had a nucleus, and I think that once you do that, it makes it easier for the people who come after you to recruit and say ‘Look, you know, Carolina’s serious about lacrosse,’” Scott said. “So I think that may have had a start, but I don’t want to take anything away from the guys who came after us that were really great.“We certainly turned the corner.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/22/10 4:18am)
When Gavin Petracca scored to put No.3 North Carolina up 11-2 late in the third quarter, Dartmouth defender Andy Gagel hung his head.For the fourth time in the quarter, the Big Green had failed to clear the ball out of their own end. And for the fourth time that quarter, UNC had capitalized.After the Big Green defense forced the Tar Heels into three missed shots to regain possession, Gagel caught a pass on the far sideline and looked to clear. But just as he turned upfield, UNC freshman Marcus Holman met him with a crushing hit, sending Gagel flying to the turf and jarring the ball loose.Sophomore Thomas Wood picked up the ground ball and flipped it back to Holman, who found a wide open Petracca streaking to the cage for a point-blank score.Petracca’s goal was one of six Tar Heel tallies off Dartmouth failed clears on Friday night and capped a 10-1 UNC run that helped turn an early tie into a 15-6 UNC victory.“The second we get that turnover we’re looking to push on offense,” senior captain Sean DeLaney said.“We do a drill — five seconds, three steps — so you have to move it right away so that when the game comes, it’s just natural to pick the ball up and move it.”This type of success in the riding game, in which a team’s offensive players attempt to prevent the opposing defense from clearing the ball, helped UNC change the tempo of the game, forcing Dartmouth to play the Tar Heels’ style. “When the team’s slowing the pace down and playing zone and that sort of the thing, you want to make sure you’re riding, and our riding game is very aggressive,” North Carolina coach Joe Breschi said.In addition to the turnovers caused by its riding game, UNC was able to control possession thanks to the efforts of its midfielders. The Tar Heels scooped up 14 more ground balls than the Big Green and won 16 of the game’s 25 faceoffs, due in part to junior Michael Burns’ 10-for-14 performance.“Our long-stick middies and faceoff guys really stepped up,” Breschi said. “We challenged those guys to make plays and they played with toughness today, which was terrific.”“Michael Burns was a man-child at the ‘X,’” and I was really proud his effort as well.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/17/10 4:45am)
Billy Bitter didn’t resemble an All-American at all Tuesday night. North Carolina’s star junior lacrosse player looked frustrated, confused and indecisive against Princeton.The Tigers switched defensive sets throughout the game and kept an eye on Bitter at all times. Princeton’s man-to-man defense held him in check, but its zone was the true catalyst to Bitter’s 57-minute identity crisis.“That’s one way to try and neutralize Billy a little bit, to play some zone, because then there’s six guys playing him instead of one,” head coach Joe Breschi said.It’s hard to be Bitter, especially with all the extra attention he gets from defenses, but it’s even harder to beat him.When UNC needed last year’s leading goal-scorer the most, it simply put in the request.“Coach (Pat) Myers came to me in the fourth quarter and tells me he needs me and the team needs me,” Bitter said.The Tigers had stormed back to score five straight goals and tied the game at 10 with 4:46 left in regulation, but one minute later, Bitter had possession behind the net. He looked for an opening before exploding to his right. Bitter scrambled around the back of the net, already eyeing his shot. He knew where he was going and so did the defense, but Bitter was too quick this time.“Well, he’s so quick,” Breschi said. “I think that’s what separates him from most. … You’ve got to stay on him until he gets rid of the ball, and I think he’s so quick in his change of direction that he loses some defensemen.”Bitter turned the sharp corner behind the net, protected his stick and got under his defenseman to deliver the dagger: the go-ahead goal with 3 minutes left.And he wasn’t done yet. After a jostle for the face-off, Princeton sophomore John Cunningham came away with the ball in pursuit of his own tying goal. Bitter wasn’t going to let anyone ruin his opus. He chased Cunningham down, raised his stick and swatted the ball out, leading to a turnover and another UNC possession.“Billy’s always got a big play in him somewhere, and thank God he had another one up his sleeve tonight,” senior Gavin Petracca said. “He fights every single second of every play of every game.”While Bitter recorded two assists before his goal, it just wasn’t until the final three minutes that he showed his true identity. “It’s really just great being on his team,” Petracca said.
(03/17/10 4:45am)
Billy Bitter didn’t resemble an All-American at all Tuesday night. North Carolina’s star junior lacrosse player looked frustrated, confused and indecisive against Princeton.The Tigers switched defensive sets throughout the game and kept an eye on Bitter at all times. Princeton’s man-to-man defense held him in check, but its zone was the true catalyst to Bitter’s 57-minute identity crisis.“That’s one way to try and neutralize Billy a little bit, to play some zone, because then there’s six guys playing him instead of one,” head coach Joe Breschi said.It’s hard to be Bitter, especially with all the extra attention he gets from defenses, but it’s even harder to beat him.When UNC needed last year’s leading goal-scorer the most, it simply put in the request.“Coach (Pat) Myers came to me in the fourth quarter and tells me he needs me and the team needs me,” Bitter said.The Tigers had stormed back to score five straight goals and tied the game at 10 with 4:46 left in regulation, but one minute later, Bitter had possession behind the net. He looked for an opening before exploding to his right. Bitter scrambled around the back of the net, already eyeing his shot. He knew where he was going and so did the defense, but Bitter was too quick this time.“Well, he’s so quick,” Breschi said. “I think that’s what separates him from most. … You’ve got to stay on him until he gets rid of the ball, and I think he’s so quick in his change of direction that he loses some defensemen.”Bitter turned the sharp corner behind the net, protected his stick and got under his defenseman to deliver the dagger: the go-ahead goal with 3 minutes left.And he wasn’t done yet. After a jostle for the face-off, Princeton sophomore John Cunningham came away with the ball in pursuit of his own tying goal. Bitter wasn’t going to let anyone ruin his opus. He chased Cunningham down, raised his stick and swatted the ball out, leading to a turnover and another UNC possession.“Billy’s always got a big play in him somewhere, and thank God he had another one up his sleeve tonight,” senior Gavin Petracca said. “He fights every single second of every play of every game.”While Bitter recorded two assists before his goal, it just wasn’t until the final three minutes that he showed his true identity. “It’s really just great being on his team,” Petracca said.
(03/17/10 4:39am)
Through 57 minutes of action against No. 5 Princeton, the Tigers had Billy Bitter bottled up.Unfortunately for the Tigers (4-1), Bitter needed just 13 seconds to make two critical plays that put the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team (7-0) ahead for good.The junior scored the go-ahead goal and forced a critical turnover to help seal No. 3 UNC’s 12-11 victory Tuesday night.“Anytime you’ve got Billy Bitter on your team, you figure he’s going to make a play,” UNC coach Joe Breschi said.“With it tied at 10-10, they played zone again, and he just found the short stick in the zone as we snapped the ball around the perimeter.”After grabbing a 5-2 lead on Gavin Petracca’s third goal of the game with 9:30 remaining in the second quarter, the Tar Heels looked to be in control for much of the game.A pair of goals from sophomore Jimmy Dunster, a tally from senior Sean DeLaney and Petracca’s fourth score of the evening helped maintain a comfortable lead for UNC throughout the middle portion of the game. But after Michael Burns scored to give the Tar Heels a 10-5 advantage, Princeton rattled off five consecutive goals, including two apiece from Jack McBride and Mike Chanenchuk, to knot the score at 10.With the game tied and the Tar Heels reeling, UNC looked to Bitter to turn the tide, and the junior did not disappoint.On the Tar Heels’ next offensive possession, Bitter cradled behind the cage, slid past his defender and rifled a shot inside the near post before falling into the crease, giving the Tar Heels a lead they would not relinquish.After putting the Tigers on the ropes with his first goal of the game, Bitter helped put them on the canvas seconds later.After the Tigers won the face-off, Princeton’s John Cunningham attempted to move the ball into the attacking zone. But Bitter tracked back from his attacking position and swatted Cunningham’s stick, sending the ball trickling out of bounds and giving the Tar Heels possession. “We ask our guys to do a lot, and for Billy to come through and make some simple plays as opposed to scoring five or six goals in this game — I credit him,” Breschi said.Less than a minute later, UNC’s Cryder DiPietro buried a shot from the top of the box to give the Tar Heels a commanding 12-10 advantage with 2:10 remaining.The Tigers added a goal with two seconds left in the game, but were unable to control the face-off before time expired.“They’re an excellent team, and we knew they were going to come in fighting,” Petracca said. “We just wanted to fight for everything we got.”The victory keeps the Tar Heels undefeated on the season, and UNC’s seven wins mark the fastest start for the program since the 1993 season, when the Tar Heels won their first nine games.“I’m so proud of the guys,” Breschi said.“Two games in row now — Duke tied us 6-6, Princeton tied us 10-10 — we’ve regrouped, we haven’t panicked, we stayed the course, stayed the game plan and came out on top.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/01/10 4:59am)
After a tight physical first half, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team pulled away from another overmatched opponent, defeating Florida 18-5 Sunday at Fetzer Field.This is the fourth out of the Tar Heels’ first five games that they won by at least 10 goals.The offense was led by the typical cast of characters, with seniors Megan Bosica, Jenn Russell and Kristen Taylor all scoring three or more goals.The game wasn’t a total mismatch, as Florida scored three goals in the last three minutes of the first half to cut the Tar Heels’ (5-0) lead to 6-4 at the break.Coach Jenny Levy said the poor first-half finish was due to her team concentrating on the wrong things.“I thought we were losing our focus on things that we couldn’t control, i.e. the refs, and you just can’t do that,” Levy said. “You can’t control what they’re going to call, and you got to play above that.”Bosica said the team came out in the second half with a much better mindset.“I think poise was the key to the second half,” Bosica said. “We needed to come out here relaxed, and focus on the little things definitely helped us in the second half.”The young Florida team that started all but one freshman is in its first year as a varsity program.The Gators showed no backing down to the veteran UNC team as they played an aggressive game, especially in their defensive end.“It was very physical, and they were being allowed to do some things that maybe aren’t within the rules, but that’s the deal, you can’t control that,” Levy said.The physical play led to a slow, foul-filled game that included five total yellow cards, four going to Florida. Levy said she doesn’t mind the physical play and that her team just needs to adjust to it.“We’re going to see physical defenses. That’s part of the game, it’s not a big deal to us. We have to take what they’re giving us and adjust and play the game,” Levy said. “It’s a chess match every game. Every defense is going to show you new challenges.”Bosica, who had two of her four goals off free position shots following fouls by the Gators, said she actually loves a physical defense.“It was definitely different from what we’ve seen, but personally I like that,” Bosica said.The Gators’ rough play did cost them, as UNC scored nine of its 18 goals on free position shots resulting from fouls. The Tar Heels converted all but four of their 13 free-position chances.On the defensive end, Logan Ripley was solid in goal, making a few outstanding saves on wide-open chances.Florida goalkeeper Cara Canington also played excellently, keeping her team in the first half with five saves on 16 UNC shots. But she was unable to keep up with the Tar Heels’ vaunted offense in the second half, facing eight free position shots and 20 shots overall.The Tar Heels head into March undefeated and mostly untested. UNC will be challenged, facing three top-15 teams starting with No. 3 Penn on Saturday at home.Bosica said she feels the team is prepared for the tougher opponents.“Penn had a really good game on us last year, and I think we kind of want to show them that we can play with them and we’ve been working hard,” Bosica said. “It’s definitely going to be a great matchup.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/01/10 3:37am)
The North Carolina women’s lacrosse team hosted a Florida squad Sunday that boasted the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.But despite the five goals scored by Gator newcomers, it was a pair of UNC freshmen — Emily Garrity and Kara Cannizzaro — who turned the tide midway through the first half.After falling behind 3-0, the Gators scored to close the gap to two, and might have scored more were it not for some nifty stickwork on the part of UNC goalie Logan Ripley.Florida’s freshman midfielder Brittany Dashiell was bearing down on goal for another score when UNC’s Garrity forced a turnover and passed to fellow freshman Cannizzaro.Cannizzaro ran the length of the field, slipped through two Gator defenders and put the ball in the back of the net. The Tar Heels would score twice more in the next six minutes and rolled to an 18-5 win.The coast-to-coast link-up was just another example of the contributions UNC coach Jenny Levy’s freshmen midfielders have already made in the season’s first five games.“They’re doing good things off the draw; they’re doing good things defensively. We really have a lot of confidence in their play all over the field,” Levy said. “And obviously offensively, we feel like they can score goals, too.”The freshman midfield trio of Garrity, Cannizzaro and Jessica Griffin has combined for 14 goals already. And while there’s plenty of space on the score sheet, only Garrity has found her way into the starting lineup.Still, Garrity says the competition for playing time has not caused a rift between the players.“We all work hard, we’re all in competition, but on the field we’re teammates, and we connect with each other,” she said.The three also connect off the field, where Cannizzaro and Griffin share a room.The group’s development will be extremely important for the Tar Heels, who will lose senior midfielders and captains Jenn Russell and Megan Bosica to graduation this year.“I said, ‘Hey look, you’re not just playing minutes this year, but you’ve got to put mental minutes in,’” Levy said.For their part, the departing seniors recognize the importance of helping their future replacements realize their potential.“They taught us our communication, how to step up when there’s a lull in the energy on the field,” Cannizzaro said. “They really bring us together and get us going again, and they don’t let anyone slack on the field. They hold everyone accountable.”Though Cannizzaro credited the seniors for her early success, Bosica said she thinks the freshmen will be just fine once she and Russell graduate.“From the get-go they’ve just done an amazing job for us, and they’re pushing all of us to work even harder,” Bosica said.“They’re not going to have any problem filling our shoes once we leave here.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/15/10 6:35am)
The excitement of starting a new season led to a sloppy, turnover-filled game on Sunday for the No. 4 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team.But the Tar Heels still won 18-7, defeating an overmatched Denver team.
(02/15/10 6:33am)
In the final seconds of the men’s lacrosse team’s first home game, Bryant University’s Travis Harrington was desperately searching for a chance to upset No. 4 North Carolina.With just five seconds remaining, Harrington sent one final shot flying towards UNC’s goal in an attempt to send the game into overtime.
(02/15/10 6:29am)
Starting this season where it left off, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s lacrosse team experienced yet another high-scoring game.Except this time, the Tar Heels didn’t go home disappointed.They ended last season with a 21-7 NCAA championship loss, where the team gave up the most points in a single game in the history of the program.
(02/15/10 6:26am)
More than 1,000 spectators littered the back of Francis E. Henry Stadium on Saturday, peering over the top railing and flooding the stairs to watch North Carolina’s men’s lacrosse 5-4 win against Bryant University.It was worth it. After snow began to fall late Friday evening, the team’s game was moved from Fetzer Field to Navy Field, which sits directly behind Henry Stadium.From the start, UNC dominated possession. North Carolina moved the ball around the net, trying to work its offense. That led to a goal by UNC freshman Marcus Holman with 11:34 left in the first quarter.But the Bulldogs didn’t just roll over.Bryant goalie Jameson Love blocked 13 shots in the first half, which was four more than UNC’s goalie, Chris Madalon, stopped the entire game.“They did a great job of mixing things up on us in the first half,” UNC coach Joe Breschi said. “With the zone, and the man and those sorts of things, … I think it was challenging for our freshmen to organize.”The Tar Heels continued to drown Bryant with shots, composing a melody from the thuds and smacks of each deflected ball.But UNC broke through three times in the second quarter.Sophomore Thomas Wood, who finished the game with two goals and an assist, notched one in the second period, while senior Sean DeLaney added his two goals.“The first half, obviously 30 shots are a lot of shots, that’s like a game for some,” Breschi said. “For us, we’ve just got to learn to shoot the ball better.”The Bulldogs scored two quick goals in the first half, one with an extra-man advantage and one in transition, to keep Bryant in contention down 4-2 at half.And it wasn’t finished. The Bulldogs’ Bryant Amitrano and Travis Harrington scored twice more on Madalon in the third period to tie the game and carry momentum into the final stretch. “I’m always just trying to make the next save,” Madalon said. “You get scored on. It’s pretty much a fact of lacrosse, but you’ve just got to prepare for the next shot.”But the next shot was taken by Wood.With 12:50 left in the game, UNC midfielder Cryder DiPietro crossed a pass from the right side of the net to find Wood.By the time Wood caught the ball, he had already released a rocket headed straight for the goal.Just like that, North Carolina was back on top and in control.“I’m a right-handed player,” Wood said. “I play on that side a lot in the games as attackman. That’s actually my shot. That’s probably my favorite shot to take.”Wood’s goal was the eventual game-winner.After recapturing the lead, the Tar Heels continued to apply pressure on both offense and defense as time slipped away from Bryant.But with 1:25 left in the game, just following a UNC turnover, Bryant midfielder Ben Sternberg cradled the ball through UNC’s defense and shot.He missed, and Bryant had time for one final shot, a desperation shot taken with five seconds left by Harrington.But Madalon located the attackman’s shot and blocked it with his stick to secure the victory.“I thought we played great defensively,” Breschi said. “Chris Madalon was terrific.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/12/10 4:26am)
To prep for his second season at North Carolina, coach Joe Breschi had the men’s lacrosse team dive into four weeks of practice, two preseason scrimmages and multiple playing opportunities with UNC alumni.But Breschi and the team wanted more from each other.Whether bringing ice cream to kids in the UNC Children’s Hospital or reading a chapter a week in John C. Maxwell’s Talent is Never Enough, the team believes that a strong commitment to community service and a unique team reading program is key to its development.And that commitment has made this team one of the most tightly-knit groups Breschi has ever seen.“If we have our individual goals focused on a team-oriented path, we can achieve more,” Breschi said. “Thus, everybody will succeed. It’s not just doing things on the field.” After a 12-6 (0-3 ACC) record, last year’s team traveled to the NCAA Tournament and were eliminated in a narrow 12-11 fall to Duke in the quarterfinals. With the loss of a number of key players, including goalie Grant Zimmerman and face-off specialist Shane Walterhoefer, this year’s starting lineup holds a mix of veteran returnees and standout newcomers.For the experienced players, marquee attackman and first-team All-American Billy Bitter will lead the Tar Heels’ offense, returning as the leading scorer with 46 goals from last season.Defenseman Ryan Flanagan and midfielder Sean DeLaney, a co-captain, were also selected as third-team All-Americans and will help nurture the freshman class in adjusting to collegiate play. “We’re still working out the kinks with the freshmen,” Bitter said. “This is my second year with the new coaches, so it’s my job to guide them to the spots they have to be in — on and off the field.”Four of UNC’s starting midfield positions have been claimed by rookies Cam Wood, Ian Braddish, Greg McBride, and Zander Walters. Fellow freshman Marcus Holman will join the starting ranks alongside Bitter as an attackman. Despite a young midfield, Breschi’s squad boasts an experienced defense that has veteran leadership alongside the current starting goalie, junior Chris Madalon.“Our young midfield, our second group, has to come along quickly,” Breschi said. “The defense has to make an impact for us, and I like the depth at goalie, but it’s nice to have a clear voice there.”With a rigorous schedule ahead, the No. 4 Tar Heels will face a total of seven top-20 teams including ACC competitors No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Virginia and No. 8 Maryland.With a 13-5 scrimmage victory against No. 15 Brown in October and a recent 8-8 tie with No. 19 Bucknell in snowy conditions under its belt, North Carolina opened regular season play with an 11-5 win against Jacksonville University last Saturday. But UNC is focusing on preparing for games of a much closer margin and is looking to avenge three of its one-goal losses to conference teams from last season.All eyes have been set on that revenge — with a stop first at the ACC Tournament and then to the NCAAs.“Three of those games could have been wins, and one of those could have advanced us to the final four,” Bitter said. “That just shows us how good we can be if we focus for all 60 minutes of every game.”
(02/12/10 4:00am)
Fresh off a run to the national title game, Jenny Levy’s women’s lacrosse program is gunning for another trip.With the top four scorers returning from an attacking unit that averaged more than 10 goals a game last season, North Carolina fields one of the best offenses in the nation. Corey Donohoe, Kristen Taylor, Megan Bosica and Jenn Russell all topped 35 goals last season.“The core offensively with Corey and Krit and Becky (Lynch) coming back together, ... has been a huge benefit for us,” Levy said.Taylor has been a fixture in the offense for the last three seasons despite struggling with injuries two years ago and a long-running illness in 2009.“Krit has really done a great job battling through some health issues,” Levy said. “She’s been a total warrior in her approach to all of it. I think she’s gained great perspective.”On the defensive side of the ball, things start with Kristen Carr. A holding midfielder, Carr provides intimidation in the middle of the field and helps keep the action on the opponents’ half.But if opponents get through Carr, then there’s always a safety net in the hands of Logan Ripley, the 2009 national goalkeeper of the year.“We’re excited to have her back,” Levy said of Ripley. “She’s the best goalkeeper we’ve had in this program.”UNC will have to replace last season’s top defender in Amber Falcone. But on the plus side, the team returns all the other defensive starters.“Although we’d love to have Amber for another year, I’m really confident in what our returning players can do,” Levy said.Granted, UNC will have plenty of momentum to build upon after its postseason run to the title. The Tar Heels downed powerful NCAA foes Notre Dame and Maryland.“Our kids now know how hard they have to work,” Levy said.
(02/08/10 5:53am)
DURHAM — The North Carolina women’s lacrosse team’s South of the Border Tournament was canceled due to weather, so the Tar Heels scrimmaged Duke and beat the Blue Devils on Sunday afternoon 13-3. The tournament was set to have both teams face off against eight others in a full day of exhibition games.But coach Jenny Levy was still excited to get a chance to face some different competition before the season officially kicks off next weekend. “It was nice to play somebody else,” Levy said. “We’ve been killing each other in practice for about three, four weeks.”The Tar Heels came out to a roaring start, scoring three goals in the first three minutes. They led 9-3 at halftime and never looked back en route to routing their rivals by double digits. The key to the quick start was not only a potent offensive attack that Levy called the best since she’s been at the programUNC’s early success in getting possession from face-offs created plenty of scoring opportunities.“I think the biggest part for us is winning the draw,” Levy said. “That’s such a big part of our game.”The increased possessions allowed senior Kristen Taylor and junior Corey Donohoe many opportunities to score, which they cashed in on. Both players scored at least four goals against an overmatched Duke defense.“I think our offense has really come together over the past month that we’ve been practicing,” Taylor said.The Tar Heels’ offensive experience was just one of the team’s bright spots that was showcased in the scrimmage. “A lot of us played together last season, so there was a lot of chemistry that was already there, which is nice,” Taylor said.Donohoe was pleased with the team’s quick start, something she said the offense had trouble with in the past. The offense wasn’t the only bright spot for the team. North Carolina’s defense regrouped after a rough start to shut the Blue Devils out in the final 10 minutes of the first half and the entire second half.Defender Mia Hurrin said that the defense picked up its intensity in the second half. UNC’s defense only lost one player from last year’s team and also hopes its experience is an advantage. In goal, Logan Ripley made multiple big saves in the second half of Sunday’s scrimmage to shut down the Blue Devils’ offense. But it wasn’t all perfect for the Tar Heels. Levy said there’s still room for improvement. “As always, with the beginning of the season there’s moments of brilliance and things we think we can do better,” Levy said.Levy said the team must sustain a high level and urgency of play for the whole game to be successful. “That’s something that takes time,” Levy said. “Once you get game fit it’s easier to do.”The team is anxious for the season to begin next week as it tries to build off of last season’s success. UNC lost in the title game 21-7 to Northwestern last year. The team officially kicks off its season Sunday versus Denver at Fetzer Field.“I’m excited,” Taylor said. “I wanted this game to count.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.