UNC lacrosse's Chris Gray surpasses expectations in debut against Colgate

By erupting for four goals in his first quarter as a Tar Heel, UNC men's lacrosse's Chris Gray joined the ranks of fresh faces in Chapel Hill who surpassed lofty expectations in their first game in Carolina blue.

While Sam Howell and Cole Anthony have become household names as true first-years, the same cannot be said for Gray, a junior transfer from Boston University. With two years of college lacrosse under his belt, Gray comes to North Carolina after compiling one of the most productive seasons in NCAA history. 

In his 2019 campaign with the Terriers, the 5-foot-7 junior from Wading River, N.Y., broke just about every record in sight with his attacking style of play from behind the goal. In just 17 games, Gray tallied an NCAA-leading 111 points off 49 goals and 62 assists. Those numbers earned him first-team All-American honors as a sophomore, along with being named a finalist for the coveted Tewaaraton Award, an honor bestowed upon the nation's best college lacrosse player each year.

With a plethora of accolades early in his career, there was certainly buzz surrounding his decision to move from the Patriot League to the ACC. And by the end of Saturday’s 19-6 season-opening victory over Colgate, that buzz was certainly warranted.

With all eyes on Dorrance Field watching Gray — who head coach Joe Breschi refers to as his “quarterback” — the talented attacker took little time to prove that his prior success will carry over to his new role at UNC. 

Less than three minutes into the game, a failed clear by the Red Raiders handed Gray his first goal on a silver platter. A quick scoop near the goal led to an easy bounce shot for his first points of the season.

51 seconds later, he scored again. Then, 5 minutes later, he notched another goal.

And three minutes after that? You guessed it.

By the end of an electrifying stretch of eight minutes and 33 seconds, Gray had scored four goals and helped clinch the season opener for the Tar Heels before the second quarter had even started. 

Using his speed to separate himself from defenders, Gray always seemed to have space to either feed a teammate or unleash a shot. While four goals in the opening quarter of his Tar Heel career may seem to position Gray as Breschi’s primary attacker, the transfer took on the role of the distributor for the rest of the day, finishing with two assists to top off a well-rounded effort. 

Both player and coach agree that the attacker is at his best when he is distributing the ball to others. 

“As an offense, we really just pride ourselves on making the extra pass,” Gray said. “To come out here and really put it together for us is a great feeling.”

Breschi echoed Gray’s sentiments.

“We can put points on the board if we don’t care who gets the credit,” Breschi said. “Today was a good indication of what we can be.”

A bona fide star on attack is something that North Carolina has been lacking in recent years, and is a key ingredient to Breschi’s most successful squads. The UNC coach of 12 years offered some impressive comparisons to a trio of former Tar Heels. 

“He’s a mix of (Steve) Pontrello, Marcus Holman and a little bit of (Joey) Sankey,” Breschi said. “Which is a unique group, because he can shoot, he can see the field, and he can get underneath you and put points on the board.”

In speaking Gray’s name in the same breath as that trio of UNC lacrosse legends, Breschi may invoke sentiments leaving North Carolina fans wondering just how high the ceiling is for this year’s team. Gray himself didn’t mince words when looking ahead to how far the Tar Heels can go this season.

“Same as everyone on our team,” he said. “To come out here and try to get to a national championship.”

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