UNC’s depth tops Detroit

In the third quarter of No. 6 North Carolina’s 18-8 win against Detroit on Saturday at Fetzer Field, UNC midfielder Greg McBride received the ball, whipped a behind-the-back pass to a teammate and watched the play he started at midfield turn into an easy goal by attacker Marcus Holman.

That string of passes was exemplary of the UNC offense for the entire match — a balanced, unselfish style of play that led to goals by 10 different Tar Heels and 12 team assists.

Often at the center of that methodical attack was freshman Joey Sankey.

Sankey, who stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, was a constant nuisance for the Titan defenders, cutting and weaving his way to two goals and an assist.

For his first true college home match, it was a more-than-respectable performance that revealed the freshman’s uncomplicated playing style — persistent and fast.

“I was a little nervous before the game, but you know, once you start warming up and get your mind off it … your head just focuses in on the game,” Sankey said.

“We always try to play as hard and fast as possible.”

Perhaps even more notable than the Tar Heel attack was that every UNC player that dressed got playing time.

It’s not often in any sport that every member of a team gets into a game, let alone a 46-player lacrosse team.

“(Balance) is big. … We have depth for the first time in the four years I’ve been here,” coach Joe Breschi said.

Junior defender Kieran McDonald felt similarly.

“I think it’s great getting all the freshmen in and just having everybody play and getting the experience,” McDonald said.

“I thought that was huge for our team today.”

Not to be overlooked in UNC’s 18-goal performance was the play of its defense, which never allowed the Titans any semblance of an offensive rhythm and pressured them into 25 turnovers.

Despite being largely inexperienced and often playing second fiddle to the vaunted attack, the UNC defense flashed signs of promise in Saturday’s contest.

Sankey said the offense doesn’t feel any added pressure to score to make up for its lack of experience on the other end of the field.

“Our defense is great. Our offense has gotten a lot of hype, but our defense has a lot of talent,” he said. “We have full trust in our defense.”

Though the 10-goal win left the Tar Heels (3-0) with an unblemished record, Breschi said they still have much room to improve and will need to play better in their upcoming games.

“I thought overall it was good team win, (but) I don’t think we played that well … we played hard, but we weren’t sharp,” he said.

“(There’s) a lot to work on, but it’s a win and everybody got a chance to play, so we’re happy for that.”

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