Fall Snapshot: North Carolina Tar Heels

(Photograph Courtesy of North Carolina Athletics)

Welcome to the Fall Snapshot collection. All through the autumn I will probably be taking an early have a look at all 75 DI males’s faculty lacrosse groups and giving a snapshot of the place every is heading into the 2023 season.

Head Coach: Joe Breschi (fifteenth yr, 2008-Current)

North Carolina 2022 Document: 8-6 (1-5 ACC)

Key Departures: Chris Grey (A), Nicky Solomon (A), Cole Herbert (M), Jacob Kelly (A), Sean Morris (D)

Key Returners: Lance Tillman (M), Henry Schertzinger (M), Matt Wright (LSM), Alex Breschi (SSDM), Connor Maher (SSDM), Paul Barton (D), Collin Krieg (G), Zac Tucci (FO), Andrew Tyeryear (FO)

Switch Additions: Logan McGovern (A), Sean Goldsmith (A), Harry Welford (M), Griffin Gallagher (M), Andrew Geppert (D), JT Rosselle (LSM)

North Carolina was one of many groups that underperformed essentially the most in 2022. Beginning the yr as a preseason high 10 group and a yr faraway from a Championship Weekend look, expectations had been excessive for the Tar Heels regardless of the lack of its complete first midfield and the perfect defenseman in faculty lacrosse.

Struggles highlighted the Tar Heels 2022 marketing campaign as they ended the yr with an 8-6 (1-5 ACC) document, out of the NCAA Event, and nowhere to be discovered within the ultimate high 20 rankings. And thru the ultimate 5 weeks of the season, the Tar Heels went 1-4 with its solely win coming over Syracuse, 14-13.

Merely put, North Carolina wasn’t in a position to change its most important losses or discover solutions the place it wanted them essentially the most. Now, in 2023, all eyes will probably be on the Tar Heels to see if they will certainly get again on observe.

Burning Questions

What Does The Assault Unit Look Like?

Final season, North Carolina was tasked with having to interchange its complete beginning midfield. This time, it’s the assault unit that should get replaced. Tewarraton Finalist and NCAA all-time factors chief Chris Grey is gone and takes with him his 80 factors (48G/32A) from final season. Nicky Solomon (20G/17A) and Jacob Kelly (20G/15A) are additionally gone. The three beginning attackmen mixed for 152 factors (88 targets) final season and accounted for 54% of the Tar Heels’ scoring output. Grey alone accounted for 29% of that output.

Filling the holes left open on this assault line, and particularly the position of Grey had, goes to be a monumental process for this North Carolina group. Whether or not or not the Tar Heels can, at the least, produce at a excessive sufficient stage on the place to win video games persistently would be the query that dominates the storyline of this group in 2023.

The Tar Heels have added a pair of switch attackmen who will probably be anticipated to assist fill that void instantly. Logan McGovern is available in from Bryant, the place he put up 54 factors off 19 targets and 35 assists as a junior this previous spring. Sean Goldsmith is a grad switch from Mercer and had 35 targets and 16 assists for 51 factors in 2022. These two will probably assist kind the core round which this assault unit will probably be constructed. The Tar Heels additionally usher in highly-touted freshman Dominic Pietramala (Boy’s Latin, Md.) on the place.

Can The Protection Enhance?

North Carolina ranked 52nd in DI in scoring protection as they allowed 12.86 targets per sport final season. Twice (vs Ohio State, vs Duke) the Tar Heels allowed 18-plus targets. Protection was the this group’s biggest weak spot final season and the one space the place the best quantity of enchancment will probably be wanted in the event that they wish to get again on observe.

LSM Matt Wright (27GB/12CT) was the group’s high producing pole final season as its high LSM. Tyler Schwarz (14GB/4CT) was the secondary LSM as a freshman and in addition returns, in addition to SSDMs Alex Breschi (18GB/8CT) and Conner Maher (43GB/8CT). That group was productive and highlighted an in any other case unhealthy and injury-impacted protection. The identical will be mentioned for goalie Collin Krieg. He adopted up a stellar freshman marketing campaign with a 2022 season that noticed him make 182 saves with a 50.3% save share.

At shut, the Tar Heels noticed a large number of gamers come out and in of the lineup all season, partly as a result of accidents. Paul Barton (22GB/7CT), Blake Gable (19GB/5CT), Sean Morris (8GB/5CT), Maxwell Cooney (3GB/4CT), and Collin Loughead (6GB/3CT) had been all main items of that rotation. Barton began six video games as a freshman whereas Gable began 10 as a sophomore. Cooney performed within the first 4 video games and began the primary three earlier than lacking the remainder of the season as a result of damage entire Loughead performed in 9 video games with 5 begins. Morris is the one one not returning as he has exhausted his eligibility. Along with that group who returns, the Tar Heels have additionally introduced a pair of graduate switch poles in Andrew Geppert from Brown and JT Roselle from Marist, who was the MAAC LSM of The 12 months in 2022.

Will The Faceoff State of affairs Swing Again Up?

In the course of the 2021 season, the duo of Zach Tucci and Andrew Tyeryar proved to be one of many higher one-two punches in faculty lacrosse. As a group, the Tar Heels went 53% on the dot whereas Tucci and Tyeryar went Tucci went 56.8% and 51.9% individually, ending the yr ranked twenty second and thirty second in faceoff win share.

This previous season, North Carolina went 51.5% as a group on the dot whereas Tucci went 119-for-219 (54.3%) whereas Tyeryar went 59-for-115 (51.3%). Each high faceoff males battled damage at instances. Graham Schwartz and Chase Mullins, who has since left this system, additionally noticed restricted motion. Whereas the general numbers don’t present an enormous drop, however the story towards ACC competitors is completely different. The Tar Heels went 44% on the dot in ACC play and didn’t go 50% or over towards any ACC group.

Tucci, Tyeryar, and Schwartz are all again in 2023 and will probably be joined by a pair of freshman in Colin Hannigan (Springfield, Pa.) and George Kalos (Hough, N.C.).

Potential Breakout Participant

Dewey Egan, Assault, Sophomore

Egan arrived in Chapel Hill final fall as a highly-touted recruit and made an affect within the restricted motion he noticed. Egan performed in 9 video games and began every of the final three contests, ending the season with 5 targets and one assists. Now a Sophomore and with many holes to fill on that Carolina offense, Egan might present a stable reply.

Freshman Class

North Carolina brings in one other very robust group of freshman that would make a direct affect with its 2022 recruiting class. Headlining the group is attackman Dominic Pietramala (Boy’s Latin,Md.) who’s rated as a five-star and ranked No. 2 within the class by Inside Lacrosse. Attackman James Matan (Gonzaga, D.C.) and midfielder Tayden Bultman (Ridgefield, Conn.) are additionally five-star recruits, per IL.