The North Carolina men’s lacrosse team took to the field for an unscored exhibition Sunday against Bucknell University under unusual circumstances.
The Tar Heels were playing without 16 players who were all still nursing injuries from last season. But coach Joe Breschi put a positive spin on all of the ailments.
“It was a great opportunity to play a lot of younger guys,” Breschi said. “The goal was to get them more experience in game situations.”
A host of freshmen midfielders were thrust into more prominent roles, and Breschi said he thinks that will pay dividends for the team in the spring.
“We had a lot more chemistry this week than last week and that will only help us down the road,” Breschi said.
The two teams battled for five quarters, and Breschi came away impressed with his team’s effort. But he said the most important thing was the opportunity to play someone in a different color jersey.
“We are a long way from where we need to be but it was still exciting to see,” he said.
The unofficial score of the game based on estimates gave the Tar Heels a 14-11 edge. Senior attackman Thomas Wood was upbeat after the game.
“I was happy with our effort and how hard we played,” Wood said. “It was great to get our young guys out there and give them some experience.”
