The members of the North Carolina men's lacrosse team consider themselves to be part of a brotherhood, and they've all experienced that sense of family in different ways, ever since the spread of COVID-19 brought the team's season to a premature end.
For junior attackman Chris Gray, who transferred from Boston University to UNC after his sophomore season, he felt that bond as soon as he arrived in Chapel Hill.
After Gray lit up the Patriot League by breaking the conference record with 111 points in his sophomore season, he picked up right where he left off with the Terriers in his first season as a Tar Heel, scoring 27 goals in the team's first seven games.
The team had gotten off to a 7-0 start and was ranked in the top five in the country with aspirations of a national championship. Then, on March 12, as the group finished up a practice, players saw the news on Twitter that their season had been shut down.
For Gray, having to say an early goodbye for the summer to the group that had welcomed him with such open arms was the hardest part.
"Since I stepped on campus in August, it’s been an absolute pleasure," Gray said. "The guys on the team are great, and we’re all so close, and I think that’s what makes it so hard right now; going home and not playing right now and just being away from the team because everyone’s just so close like that."
For sophomore attackman Nicky Solomon, his teammates' responses to the season being cut short are what has caught his eye the most when it comes to the sense of community surrounding the team.
He doesn't view the extended offseason as a hurdle that the squad has to overcome, because of how much they've been in contact despite players being spread throughout the country. The team's group chat is still firing off, players are FaceTiming each other and the team's chemistry remains intact.
"It's just a confidence booster," Solomon said. "I feel like it’s just going to carry on into next year."