NORTH CAROLINA
2012 RECORD: 11-6 (1-2 ACC) COACH: JOE BRESCHI (5TH YEAR)
TAR HEELS 8
Kieran McDonald remembers his welcome-to-college moment. Thing is, so does everyone else. During the fi rst round of the 2011 NCAA tournament, McDonald, then a sophomore long-stick midfi elder, found
himself on the wrong side of a “SportsCenter” highlight after Maryland pulled off a hidden-ball trick that immediately went viral. “I was one of the off-ball guys caught ball-watching,” McDonald said. “It was defi nitely a wakeup call.” As a junior, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound McDonald moved to close defense, where he reinvented himself as an air-traffi c controller. McDonald’s voice, slick stick and length — he led the Tar Heels in caused turnovers last year — will be critical for North Carolina’s defense that ranked 33rd nationally and gave up 16 goals to Denver in an NCAA tournament fi rst-round loss. “Kieran’s the leader of that defensive unit,” North Carolina coach Joe Breschi said. “He’s 15 pounds stronger. He’s gotten thicker and faster and has a year under his belt.” Bruising cover man Jordan Smith and youngsters Jake Bailey and Evan Connell will rotate at the other two spots on defense. Sophomore Ryan Kilpatrick will take over for graduated Mark Staines at long-stick midfi eld. Goalie Steven Rastivo returns as the starter, but he’ll be pushed by sophomore Andrew O’Connell. Most notably, junior Ryan Creighton, who ran on the fi rst line last season, moves to
Feb 8 Air Force Feb 16 vs. UMass* Feb 23 Fairfi eld Mar 2 at Notre Dame Mar 9 Princeton Mar 13 Duke Mar 18 Dartmouth Mar 23 at Maryland Mar 27 Brown Mar 30 Johns Hopkins Apr 6 at Virginia Apr 13 at Hofstra Apr 19 High Point *at Kennesaw State, Atlanta
defensive midfi eld. Creighton can scrap for ground balls, push transition and shut down opposing midfi elders. “What better way to [instill consistency and leadership] than to put your best all-around midfi elder down at that end?” Breschi asked. Even without its one-time phenom Nicky Galasso, who transferred to Syracuse, North Carolina’s star-studded attack will provide a margin for error. Senior captain Marcus Holman comes back after a 70-point season as a Tewaaraton Award candidate. Lefty rug rats Jimmy Bitter and Joey Sankey are are as skilled around the goal as they are turning opposing defenseman’s ankles into silly putty. At midfi eld, the Tar Heels have of a nice mix of veterans and younger players. Junior faceoff technician R.G. Keenan was a fi rst team All-American after winning 60 percent of his draws in 2012. Yet for all the extra possessions and potential fi reworks, North Carolina must make stops. McDonald and Creighton know it. “Those guys hear what people say about UNC’s defense,” Holman said. “It’s fueling them to come back fi red up and have a great season.”
— Joel Censer A Publication of US Lacrosse
Marcus Holman RIVAL COACHES SAY
“Maybe losing McBride, Galasso, Dunster, and Wood is addition by subtraction — not as many stars to get touches… They have guys sitting on their bench who would start here... They have two specialty areas nailed down, starting with Keenan at the faceoff X, and another year with Rastivo in the goal.”
TOP RETURNER A Marcus Holman (Sr.) Holman can dodge a pole,
fi nd the open man, step in from 12 yards or work on the interior. He’s also a fearless competitor. “If he’s talked about as a player of the year candidate, he deserves it,” Breschi said. “Marcus wants to win.”
X-FACTOR M Chad Tutton (So.) The rugged 6-foot-2, 190-pound Canadian slinger scored 26 points as a freshman despite drawing the long pole. “He’s exciting to coach because he doesn’t think about a whole lot of things,” Breschi said. “He just loves the game and plays hard.”
PROJECTED STARTERS
A Marcus Holman (Sr.)* G: 39 A: 35
A Joey Sankey (So.)* G: 22 A: 22
A Jimmy Bitter (So.)* G: 27 A: 14
M Chad Tutton (So.)* G: 20 A: 6
M Davey Emala (Sr.)* G: 15 A: 7
M Steve Pontrello (Fr.) G: 50 A: 37 (at St. Augustine Prep)
FO R.G. Keenan (Jr.)* FO%: 60.3 PTS: 5
LSM: Ryan Kilpatrick (So.) GB: 21 CT: 5
D Kieran McDonald (Sr.)* GB: 38 CT: 16
D Jordan Smith (Jr.)* GB: 14 CT: 8
D Jake Bailey (So.) GB: 3 CT: 2
G Steven Rastivo (Sr.)* GAA:10.19 SV%: 50.5 *returning starters
TELLING NUMBER
Ryan Creighton has gone from defensive midfi elder to fi rst-liner and back to d-middie. He’s actually that good at everything.
20
Heels lost to Syracuse 13-12 on an end-to-end, fast-break goal scored in the last 10 seconds. February 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 37
Years since UNC last played on Memorial Day. In 1993, the Tar
©PEYTON WILLIAMS (MH); ©JOHN STROHSACKER (RGK); ©JOSH D. WEISS (RC)
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