Lacrosse Takes 1st Stab at ACC Play

The numbers are harsh and don't lie.

Since 1997, UNC has compiled a record of 1-16 in the conference and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament each season. Its lone victory during that stretch was a 10-9 win at Duke in 1999.

The last time the Tar Heels finished with a winning record in the ACC was 1996, when they went 2-1 and captured their 11th -- and last -- championship.

It is a team that has obviously struggled tremendously against conference opponents, and ...

"This team hasn't," first-year UNC coach John Haus said. "Teams of the past have."

Therein lies the essence of the mantra Haus has been preaching to his team all season. Forget the past. The slate hasn't just been wiped clean. It's been smashed on the ground into 16 pieces.

Haus and the No. 12 Tar Heels (4-1) get their first chance to try out their fresh perspective tonight when the No. 10 Blue Devils travel to Fetzer Field for a

7:30 p.m. matchup.

The new coach gave his team a fiery speech about the importance of the game immediately following the Tar Heels' 12-10 defeat of Butler at home on Saturday, continuing his efforts to pound its gravity into their heads.

"Coach Haus is just really motivating us," senior goalkeeper Robert D'Urso said. "This next game is going to be a big stepping stone for us. One game at a time -- we're going to beat these guys and keep going."

But beating the Blue Devils will not present so simple a task. Duke is 5-2 on the season, having dropped games to Maryland and Loyola, currently ranked No. 3 and No. 8, respectively.

Leading the Blue Devils' charge is senior attackman Greg Patchak, who was named ACC player of the week Monday after he combined for seven goals and six assists in Duke's wins against Radford and then-No. 12 Brown last week.

Patchak is complimented by attackmen Alex Lieske (eight goals, 13 assists on the season) and Mack Hardaker (15 goals).

Most intimidating of all for UNC, perhaps, is that Duke handled Butler easily when they met Feb. 25, winning 12-4. The Tar Heels trailed the Bulldogs by as many as two goals during their win and led by only a goal until they scored with 2:31 left in the game.

"We're not worried," UNC's Bobby Gormsen said. "We know how we play. We know what we can do, and we're ready for Duke."

But UNC is running with a lineup that scarcely resembles that of last season. The changes include two new starting attackmen and entirely new starting midfield and close-defensive units.

And with sophomore goalkeeper Kris Blindinbacher sidelined after suffering his second concussion of the spring in a March 1 practice, the Tar Heels have put D'Urso in the cage the past three games. For his first career starts, D'Urso has performed admirably. He earned ACC player of the week honors last week after recording 11 saves and giving up four goals in a 13-4 win at Delware on March 10.

With so little experience, UNC's ACC season should be an interesting one.

Maryland (5-0) has surprised many with its impressive play so far. At 2-4, meanwhile, No. 9 Virginia looks like a shell of the team that advanced to the national semifinals last season.

But its losses have all come to ranked opponents -- No. 1 Princeton, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 6 Syracuse -- and the Cavaliers still have Conor Gill, who is possibly the best player in the nation.

Of course, UNC doesn't travel to Maryland until Saturday and Virginia until April 7. The conference kickoff for UNC -- and its first chance to exorcise some of its demons -- comes tonight.

"I don't think there will be any doubt in my mind that our kids will be ready to play, and they will be excited to play," Haus said. "It's one of our goals to be able to compete and to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, and we've got our first step (tonight)."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.