UNC men's lacrosse bounces back from two straight losses, cruises past Marist, 17-5

The North Carolina men’s lacrosse team (4-2) braved a rainstorm to blow past Marist (2-3) by a score of 17-5. The Friday night game was in support of the Vs. Cancer Foundation. 

What happened? 

The Tar Heels dominated in the first quarter, getting a quick 6-1 lead over the Red Foxes. Within the first minute, junior midfielder William Perry scored the first goal with an assist from first-year attackman Nicky Solomon. 

Marist responded with a goal of its own at the 10:13 mark.

UNC went on a five-goal streak over the next 10 minutes. First-year midfielder Harrison Schertzinger caused a turnover, recovered the groundball and scored a minute later. At the 7:54 mark, senior attackman Timmy Kelly passed the ball to first-year attackman Jacob Kelly, who did a spin move and scored to push UNC’s lead to 3-1. The Tar Heels would net three more to close out the opening period.

The second quarter was primarily uneventful. UNC got onto the board for its seventh goal by Timmy Kelly with 9:02 to go. The first seven Tar Heel goals were scored by seven different scorers, showcasing the depth of the team’s roster.  Marist didn’t score, leaving UNC with the 7-1 lead going into halftime. 

In the third quarter, the Red Foxes wasted no time making up for their lackluster first half. Within the first 22 seconds, Marist’s Jojo Pirreca scored his eighth goal of the season. UNC’s Perry returned the favor with his second goal of the game at the 13:31 mark. 

Heading into the fourth quarter, UNC led, 11-3. The team came out firing with back-to-back goals within nine seconds of each other by Timmy Kelly and Matthews. With 8:27 left, four different flags were thrown while Marist made an offensive run. Perry was called for slashing while Jake Peden was called for unnecessary roughness and sat out as well for the violation. Marist made a quick goal, notching its fourth with 7:51 left. 

First-year attackman Brian Cameron responded quickly with his first goal of the night off of an assist from Timmy Kelly, his second of the night. At the 3:57 mark, UNC showed no mercy as junior midfielder Matt Gavin scored, pushing UNC’s lead to 15-4, off of an assist by Atayan.  

As the last 47 seconds dwindled down, Marist scored on a last ditch effort, bringing the game to an end at 17-5. 

Who stood out? 

UNC’s boasted seven different scorers for the first seven goals. By the end of the match, five players scored twice while seven others scored once. 

Solomon led the goam in assists with three, while Timmy Kelly and Marist's Michael Smith followed closely behind with two of their own.  

When was it decided? 

The first quarter sealed UNC’s win. The 6-1 lead put enough space between the Tar Heels and Marist for UNC to carry on the momentum throughout the rest of the game. 

The Tar Heels opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals within nine seconds of each other by Timmy Kelly, his second of the game and sixth of the season, and Matthews, his first goal of the game and fourth of the season.

Why does it matter?

After starting off the season 3-0, UNC went on a two-game losing streak at home to Denver and Johns Hopkins. This is the team’s first win in the new stadium. 

When do they play next? 

The Tar Heels will continue their run at home with a matchup against Bucknell at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. 

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