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The Daily Tar Heel

Goldstock's record-breaking performance leads UNC past Colgate

The junior broke the UNC single-season record for goals with 48.

In a hard fought 19-12 victory over Colgate, Luke Goldstock capped off a thrilling offensive display by etching his name into the North Carolina men’s lacrosse record books. 

Goldstock ripped home his 48th goal of the season in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, passing Dennis Goldstein’s single-season scoring record from 1991. 

“There are so many great players that have come through this program,” Goldstock said. “It’s definitely a great honor.”

As the Tar Heels look to continue their tournament run, Goldstock will likely distance himself from Goldstein’s former record. But the sophomore credits his teammates for the plethora of scoring opportunities he has had.

“I’ve got to thank Joey (Sankey) and Jimmy (Bitter) because they create so much for me.” Goldstock said. 

But Goldstock’s record wasn’t all the Tar Heels took from the 1991 team that preceded them. UNC’s 19 goals were UNC’s most in the playoffs since Goldstein’s Tar Heels defeated Syracuse 19-13 in the Carrier Dome. 

But the goals didn’t fall early, as four of UNC’s shots in the first two minutes rattled off the posts. The Tar Heels would find the net with more ease as the game went on. 

“We shot the ball extremely well,” said Coach Joe Breschi. “We took advantage of the opportunities we had, and it was a great lacrosse game overall.” 

The Tar Heels tallied 28 shots and 11 goals in the first half, a trend would continue throughout the game. Sankey, Goldstock and Bitter would combine for 10 goals and six assists in the game. 

While their offense clicked in the end, the Tar Heels faced a challenge from the Colgate defense as the team mixed up defensive looks throughout the game.

“(Colgate) played great defense,” said junior Steve Pontrello. “They were switching between man and zone, which can be pretty confusing. But overall I think we handled it pretty well.” 

And while the final score was convincing, Colgate maintained pressure throughout the game with numerous runs.

In fact, UNC found itself down 4-3 to end the first quarter. While their defense and goalkeeping were sound to start the game, a late-quarter 4-1 run gave Colgate the lead and the momentum. 

Colgate, who started the game 0-6 shooting, began to find the mark as players began to find holes in the Carolina defense. 

But the Tar Heels would respond in the second quarter, outscoring their opponent 8-2.

“It was a hard-fought battle,” Breschi said. “I thought really the difference for us after the first quarter, I thought we settled down and played our game.”

The most concerning stretch came through the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, as Colgate scored four goals unanswered to cut UNC’s then seven-goal lead to three. 

The Tar Heels again showed their poise and maturity in the face of pressure, responding by scoring the final four goals of the game. 

But they sure didn’t come easy.

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