Thanks to a game-winning goal from William Perry the No. 10 North Carolina men’s lacrosse team (6-0) defeated St. John’s, 9-8, in a closely contested battle on Saturday afternoon.
What happened?
In the first quarter, North Carolina raced out to a 4-2 lead. The Tar Heels spent the rest of the game trying to defend that advantage and keep St. John’s (2-2) at bay.
Offense from both sides led the way in the first half and North Carolina took an 8-6 lead into the locker room. Yet a game that looked as if it were going to turn into a shootout was dominated by defense in the second half.
St. John’s goalkeeper Matt Hanley kept the Red Storm alive. Hanley finished with 15 saves, including two crucial stops with the game knotted at 8 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
North Carolina’s offensive firepower proved to be too much for even Hanley to handle, as an overwhelming 45-28 shot advantage translated to one more game-winning goal for the Tar Heels in the final seconds.
Who stood out?
North Carolina was led by a balanced scoring attack on Saturday.
Eight Tar Heels scored on nine total goals, including attackman Chris Cloutier, who extended his remarkable streak of consecutive games with a goal scored to 26. Perry was the hero of the day. He was the only Tar Heel to score multiple goals, and his second came with less than ten seconds left and put the Tar Heels up for good.
