ROSWELL, GA — The No. 15 North Carolina men’s lacrosse team took on the Mercer Bears in its season opener Saturday. The game was played at Centennial High School in Atlanta, Ga., on the same field where UNC first-year attackman Nicky Solomon played the entirety of his high school career. Solomon scored his first two goals as a Tar Heel in his return home as UNC wiped out Mercer, 20-9.
What happened?
UNC won the first faceoff of the game and senior Timmy Kelly made quick work of the Bears' defense by scoring on the Tar Heels' first possession.
UNC first-year attackman Jacob Kelly didn’t take long to follow that up. He scored his first goal only two and half minutes into his college career. The next seven minutes of the quarter were characterized by strong defense from both the Tar Heels and the Bears as the score remained set at 2-0.
With 5:18 left in the first quarter, Solomon broke the standstill by scoring his first goal as a Tar Heel. The crowd erupted in cheers. Solomon graduated from Centennial High School last May after finishing his career as the all-time leader in points and assists in the state of Georgia.
“You dream about playing college lacrosse and now the first game is at the place that got you where you got to go," Solomon said. "It’s pretty cool.”
UNC kept the momentum going as six different Tar Heels scored in the first quarter. It was an offensive showing characterized by constant ball movement and unselfish play.
With shortly more than five minutes left in the half, Timmy Kelly scored his second goal of the game as the Tar Heels started piling on to their six-goal lead. By the end of the first half, the Tar Heels led, 11-3.
A visibly-frustrated Mercer team struggled to get much of anything going in the second half. UNC’s explosive offense continued to find success, even after the Bears changed goalies. Mercer never rallied, and UNC strutted away with a 20-9 win.
