Exhibition games don’t count toward a team’s record, but when the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team plays preseason No. 1 Loyola on Saturday, don’t expect the Tar Heels to play like it doesn’t matter.
With 14 true freshmen on the roster and the loss of two senior captains in Mark Staines and Charlie McComas on the defensive end, UNC will be filled with new faces on defense and in the midfield.
Though UNC is returning all of its starting attackmen and senior goalkeeper Steven Rastivo, the team is oozing with young, talented freshmen that make up what Inside Lacrosse has labeled this year’s top recruiting class.
With that in mind, here are the freshmen to look out for this weekend when the Tar Heels take on the defending national champions:
Attack
Jimmy Bitter, Joey Sankey and Marcus Holman are not only the cream of the crop in Chapel Hill, they make up one of the top attacking cores in the nation, but for this weekend, an eye should be kept on the development of freshman Patrick Kelly.
Kelly was a top-ten recruit for UNC and should see playing time this season. Whether that playing time will be substantial or not is yet to be seen, but with three All-American honored attackmen starting for the Tar Heels, it will be tough for Kelly to break through.
Midfield
UNC wasn’t known for its offensive production from the midfield last year, but with the most recent recruiting class, head coach Joe Breschi has added some firepower in the midfield that may help to balance that Tar Heel attack.
In a scrimmage against Denver last weekend, freshmen Jake Matthai, Spencer Parks and Steve Pontrello found the ball in their possession pretty often. Though no official stats were kept, all three young guns had notable performances.
Matthai and Pontrello initiated some offense and generated shots, but neither found the net. Parks, on the other hand, wouldn’t be denied.
In the second quarter, Parks found an opening to take a shot from range and was determined to score. As the freshman let it rip, he left the small crowd at Navy field in awe as he zipped past the goalie’s facemask, stinging the top corner of the net.
Look for Parks to build off last week’s success, and expect other freshmen, like Matthai and Pontrello, to fight to prove they deserve to be part of the offense going forward.
Defense
There was no question, after a 16-14 loss to Denver in the first round of the NCAA playoffs last season, that if the Tar Heels wanted to make the next step toward title contention they needed to make defensive improvements.
Coach Joe Breschi attempted to make that step when he recruited freshmen Zach Powers and Evan Connell.
Connell, who started in last week’s scrimmage, was the No. 2 ranked defensive pole in this recruiting class, according to Inside lacrosse. Powers was ranked 9th.
With McComas and Staines graduated, look for Breschi to give Connell and Powers opportunities to step into important roles on defense against the Greyhounds.
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