The 2024 Division I men's college lacrosse season kicks off February 2. As is our annual tradition, we’re featuring every team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20 in the lead up to opening night. Check back to USALaxMagazine.com each weekday this month for new previews, scouting reports and rival analysis.
NO. 19 NORTH CAROLINA
2023 record: 7-7 (1-5 ACC)
Final ranking (2023): Unranked
Head coach: Joe Breschi (152-78 in 15 seasons at North Carolina, 244-141 in 26 seasons overall)
Assistants: Jon Thompson (offensive coordinator), Dave Pietramala (defensive coordinator), Kevin Unterstein
Whatever happens at North Carolina this spring, the Tar Heels are sure to be different.
Coach Joe Breschi’s program went a combined 15-13 over the last two seasons, missing the NCAA tournament both times. It led to a major staff shakeup, with former Amherst head coach and Air Force offensive coordinator Jon Thompson brought in as offensive coordinator and ex-Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala added as defensive coordinator after a two-year stint in that role at Syracuse.
“I think you saw that in recruiting,” Breschi said. “I think you saw that in the energy on the field. I think you saw that in the expectations in practice. Everybody has different ways of rowing the boat in the same direction, but I think that’s the beauty of it. You have guys who have done it for years and we’ve been able to have that collaboration on a daily basis every day on different ideas and thoughts. ‘We did it this way at Hopkins, or this way at Cornell, or this way at Amherst or this way at Air Force.’ It’s been awesome.”
The Tar Heels also have a potential long-term offensive fulcrum in freshman Owen Duffy, who wasted little time in the fall establishing himself as a guy who will set the table on offense. That figures to invigorate a unit that spent much of the last couple seasons searching for ways to effectively function.
“It is kind of one of those things he earned pretty quickly, which allowed us to make some moves that allowed us to put some guys at the midfield,” Breschi said. “The defense is a work in progress. That’s the beauty of two new coordinators. You’re constantly tinkering. They’re still trying to figure guys out. It is a work in progress, but it’s an exciting work in progress because I do feel like we made a nice step forward this fall.”
TOP RETURNERS
Paul Barton, D, Jr. (32 GB, 17 CT)
Logan McGovern, A, Gr. (34 G, 24 A)
Lance Tillman, A/M, Gr. (21 G, 15 A)
McGovern, Tillman and James Matan (18 goals, 12 assists) are the top returnees on an offense that figures to look different this year, and only partially because Thompson was brought in as a new coordinator. Duffy immediately steps into a prominent role on attack. Redshirt freshman Dominic Pietramala, who missed all of last year because of injury, is set to make his college debut. And little else, including positions, seems certain for anyone else.
“The health of Dom is always a question the last two years, and we’ll wait and see what happens there,” Breschi said. “Logan McGovern was banged up the last four or five games last year, so how’s his health going to work on that left side with Dom? And who fits best in the midfield? Lance Tillman has played midfield in the past and played some this fall, and so did Dewey Egan. How can we get the most out of each guy?”
KEY ADDITIONS
Owen Duffy, A, Fr. (43 G, 35 A at St. Anthony’s, N.Y.)
Peter Thomann, D, Fr. (Sanford H. Calhoun, N.Y.)
Brady Wambach, FO, Fr. (Salisbury School, Conn.)
Duffy is the headliner of the group, but Wambach also made an impression in his first fall on campus. Incumbent starter Andrew Tyeyar (.522 faceoff percentage in 2023) was injured in the first half of the Tar Heels’ first scrimmage, opening up an even larger share of playing time for 5-foot-9, 185-pounder.
“Wambach came in and was exceptional,” Breschi said. “They’re so different, and I think that’s what makes it so special.”
Thomann is likely to have a belated start to his career after getting banged up around Thanksgiving, but Breschi believes he could debut by late February.
NOTABLE DEPARTURES
Graduations: Evan Egan, D; Sean Goldsmith, A; Connor Maher, SSDM; Henry Schertzinger, M
Transfers: JT Roselle, LSM (Hofstra); Matt Wright, LSM (Syracuse)
X-FACTOR
Collin Krieg, G, Sr. (.479 SV%, 11.11 GAA)
Krieg has started all 44 games for the Tar Heels over the last three years, and his 2023 season was a reflection of Carolina’s. He had a .558 save percentage and an 8.88 goals-against average at the end of March, stats that generated some All-America chatter. But little went right for anyone associated with the Tar Heels the rest of the way, and Krieg’s numbers ballooned during a four-game slide.
One interesting development this fall: Holdover assistant Kevin Unterstein is focused on the goalies and faceoff men this fall, a trickle-down effect of staff changes that may have helped Krieg more than any player on the roster.
“He’s been a tremendous four-year starter for us,” Breschi said. “He knows this is his senior year, and I think we’re getting the most out of him as a leader and a player. He has flourished as much as anyone.”
THE NARRATIVE
Breschi recalled in the fall of 2022 how eye-opening it was to watch the final four that year as a member of the NCAA lacrosse committee and see just how physically imposing the likes of Maryland, Cornell, Princeton and Rutgers were. The implication was the Tar Heels had work to do to match up on that front.
North Carolina’s late-season losses to Virginia and Notre Dame (twice) only reinforced to anyone watching the noticeable difference in athleticism between the Tar Heels and national title contenders. Even a Syracuse team reliant on freshmen and sophomores looked bigger and faster than Carolina in a mid-April game.
“I think we’re moving in that direction,” Breschi said. “I do think this is a tricky thing.”
Some of the fix must come from player development, which is something Breschi praised as a particular strength of Thompson. The new offensive coordinator spent a lot of time during the fall not only working with the Tar Heels’ offense on the field, but also figuring out what makes them tick as people and athletes.
North Carolina did not make as significant a splash in the transfer market this season, but it might not be necessary if the likes of Duffy and Dominic Pietramala immediately live up to their advance billing.
That newness probably won’t solve everything. But it has provided a jolt for a program that probably needed it.
“I can’t tell you how exciting it is,” Breschi said. “Again, I preface it by saying we have a long way to go, but I do feel like there’s a different feel and a different energy amongst the program.”
Despite facing a gauntlet of top-tier offenses, North Carolina’s defense proved to be one of the most resilient in the nation, finishing the year ranked third in adjusted defensive efficiency. Their performance against a slew of top offenses underscores a tenacious defensive unit that, when at its peak, reduced the opposing teams’ shooting percentage to a mere 23 percent over a four-game stretch. We’ll see if this level of defensive effectiveness will carry over into the 2024 season.
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