UNC, boasting lots of new talent after losing Gray, rolls in men’s lacrosse opener

By R.L. Bynum

CHAPEL HILL — It’s a season of change for Carolina men’s lacrosse that the Tar Heels hope will produce more success after missing the NCAA tournament last year.

Gone is attackman Chris Gray, the all-time NCAA points leader, but there’s still plenty of optimism. Six transfers with 219 combined career games — all playing their fifth college seasons — have injected plenty of experienced talent to mix with 15 freshmen.

It was all on display in Friday’s opener as Bryant transfer attackman Logan McGovern piled up six points in No. 20 UNC’s 25–3 blowout over Mercer at Dorrance Field for its 25th consecutive season-opening win.

It was a feel-good start for the Tar Heels, but the competition will ramp up substantially in the coming game from the Bears (0–2), who went 5–10 last season.

UNC coach Joe Breschi, beginning his 15th season, expects big things from the Tar Heels after last season’s 8–6 finish.

“You don’t come to Carolina, coach at Carolina to be average,” said Breschi, whose 2016 team won the national championship. “You’re here to compete for championships. Having played here and played for championships, that’s our goal.”

To help make this season’s Tar Heels a national contender, Breschi aggressively hit the transfer portal with significant results, taking advantage of veterans with an extra season of eligibility because of COVID-19 rules.

“If we’re not doing it, we’re falling behind. This year, we went after it a little bit more. Just bringing in the right guys,” said Breschi, adding that four of the grad transfers were captains at their previous schools. “That makes a big difference for everybody. A lot of good leaders out there.”

One of those is McGovern (left in the top photo), who had 35 assists last season. He needed only 22 minutes to bag a hat trick and finished with four goals on seven shots with two assists. He led a potent attack trio, with Lance Tillman and Dewey Eagan two of six other Tar Heels to score two goals.

“He’ll be the first to tell you he’s a product of the guys around him,” Breschi said of McGovern. “He did a really good job of finishing opportunities, so I was thrilled with his effort.”

Breschi rotated five attackmen, including highly touted freshman James Matan, who scored twice.

“We want them to hustle and fly all over the field. They did a nice job,” Breschi said of his attackmen.

McGovern and midfielder Harry Wellford from Bucknell led the group of transfers that included Sean Goldsmith, who had a goal and assists against his former Mercer teammates. The other transfers are Griffin Gallagher (Gettysburg, one assist), Andrew Geppert (Brown) and J.T. Roselle (Marist, one assist).

Chemistry can be a problem for some teams with so many newcomers, but it was no issue in the opener.

“If you have the right guys, it’s easier,” Breschi said. “We have a very seasoned group that understands when we’re at our best, and that’s sharing the ball and taking advantage of opportunities.”

Anchoring the Tar Heels is fifth-year midfielder Connor Maher, one of four co-captains. The preseason All-America and All-ACC pick notched a goal and two assists.

Sixteen Tar Heels scored. Breschi was happy with that, and his team’s play in the second quarter when it outscored Mercer 13–1.

“I really like my second quarter,” he said. “I loved the energy that was brought to the table and liked the way the defense played with a physical style of play.”

Turnovers were a problem for last season’s team when it struggled, but UNC went without a turnover in that second quarter, and had only four in the first half. Substituting liberally in the second half, the Tar Heels turned it over 12 times in the second half.

All-American goalie Collin Krieg, a junior, is back after playing every minute last season. He made 10 saves and gave up three goals in three periods. He yielded to freshman Kent Goode who made one save.

UNC’s Connor Maher had a goal and two assists in the opening-game win over Mercer.

UNC accelerated the rout after Tillman, McGovern and midfielder Antonio DeMarco gave the Heels a 3–0 lead after one quarter.

McGovern scored three more goals and Egan had two, in addition to scores from midfielder Johnny Schwarz, Goldsmith, midfielder Henry Schertzinger, attackman Trevor Deubner, Andrew Tyeryar and Maher before Aston Wood finally got a goal for  Mercer with 3:39 left in the first half.

Matan’s first college goal and an extra-man tally from Egan gave Carolina a 16–1 halftime lead with a 33–15 shot advantage.

Carolina piled on the goals in the second half with scores from DeMarco, midfielder Caden Whaling, Schertzinger, Collin Loughead to lead 20–3 after three quarters. The Heels added scores from Leif Hagerup, Matan, two from Ryan Levy (son of UNC women’s lacrosse coach Jenny Levy) and a goal from Ryan O’Leary in the final quarter.

NOTES — UNC visits Johns Hopkins (1–0 entering Saturday’s game against Georgetown) at 5 p.m. Tuesday (ESPNU) and doesn’t play at home again until March 4 against No. 17 Denver. That game begins a stretch of six of seven games in Chapel Hill. … UNC’s Andrew Tyeryar was 13 of 18 on faceoffs but the rest of the team was 1 of 24. … That was Carolina’s best scoring output since a 27–12 home win Feb. 27, 2021, against High Point. … The three goals allowed is the fewest since a 7–3 win over Furman on Feb. 11, 2017. .. UNC is 46–20 in season openers, last losing in 1998. … UNC is 6–0 against Mercer. … Coach Breschi is four wins away from his 150th win as Carolina’s head coach. … Mercer lost its opener Saturday 20–6 to Bucknell.

No. 20 UNC 25, Mercer 3


Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications

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