Three years ago, Marcus Holman stood on Fetzer Field as a freshman while the senior class of the men’s lacrosse team was honored before the last home game of the regular season.
“I remember as a freshman standing there thinking how long it will be until my time comes,” he said.
That time is here. And Saturday afternoon, Holman will stand on the field that has become his second home for the last time in the regular season before the Tar Heels take on High Point at 1 p.m.
Coach Joe Breschi said the Panthers, a year-old team, will come to Fetzer Field energized and ready to play.
“I think they have some very good athletes, a couple of star players that we’ll have to be aware of. We just have to execute,” Breschi said. “They’ll be energized and excited to play us for sure — this is like their Super Bowl as they wrap up their season, their inaugural season. And for us, it’s really about honoring and celebrating a senior class but also getting better as a lacrosse team.”
And that senior class is certainly worth celebrating.
Led by Holman — who is currently UNC’s second all-time leading scorer — the seniors have lifted the team to a No. 5 national ranking this year, defeated Johns Hopkins several times and won a first-round NCAA game in their freshman campaign against Delaware.
But above all, Breschi said the examples his veterans have set and the intangible value that only their fellow teammates see in the locker room are what make this group of athletes so special.
“It may be a cliche, but you’re only as good as your leaders and your senior class,” he said. “This class has just bonded together as a group, they’ve committed to the season, committed to one another and committed to the program.
