A goal from North Carolina face-off specialist RG Keenan lifted the Tar Heels over Johns Hopkins 11-10 in Kenan Stadium Saturday afternoon. Here are a few notes from the win.
Four in a row
The North Carolina men’s lacrosse team extended its win streak to four on Saturday against Johns Hopkins.
The four game stretch included three top-20 teams, one of which was the top ranked team in the nation.
Despite having three games in a one-week span, the Tar Heels found a way to match the Blue Jays’ intensity in Kenan Stadium while close to six thousand fans looked on from the stands.
Keenan wins big in Kenan
Junior face-off specialist RG Keenan didn’t have one of his better days against the Blue Jays, but he proved to be clutch when the team needed it.
Even though Keenan only won 11 out of 24 face-offs on the day, he won the one that mattered the most.
To start overtime, Keenan won the face-off, kept the ball and charged toward the goal.
Six seconds into the first overtime, Keenan ended the game with a golden goal that went right in between the Blue Jays’ goalkeeper.
New rule plays a big role late
Last year, with a one-goal lead and four minutes left on the clock, Johns Hopkins would have put its fastest players in to run around, holding the ball until the clock expired.
But with the new 30 second shot clock that starts when referees enforce a stall warning, holding the ball to end the game isn’t possible anymore.
When Johns Hopkins failed to score or get a shot on goal, UNC gained a game changing possession.
Shortly after winning the ball back on a turnover, UNC scored to tie the game at 10. T
Emala converts his chances
At a 100 percent success rate, senior Davey Emala had the highest shooting efficiency possible in Saturday’s win.
Though Emala didn’t drive to cage frequently, he used a high lacrosse IQ to move around the crease and find openings close to the goal.
All of Emala’s goals were assisted, and Emala said he was the beneficiary of great ball handling from his teammates.
Burke stops the show
Though freshman goalkeeper Kieran Burke only had two second half saves, the ones he made were crucial to UNC’s success.
With 10 saves in the first half, Burke came out hot.
But he wasn’t just making saves, coach Joe Breschi said he was making show stopping saves.
On two occasions in particular, Burke made saves from close range that should have been easy goals for the Blue Jays and quickly got the ball down the field, allowing UNC to score in transition.
Those clutch plays by Burke proved to be critical to swing the momentum in UNCs favor.
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