As the lacrosse season grows closer and closer, Inside Lacrosse magazine kicked things off on Wednesday with the release of its Face-Off Yearbook Top 20 rankings.
The defending national champion Tar Heels checked in at No. 2 on the list, as they return a number of key contributors.
Only the Denver Pioneers–which bring back three First Team All-Americans–are ranked ahead of UNC entering the 2017 campaign.
Perhaps the most important players for head coach Joe Breschi this season will be junior attacker Chris Cloutier–who set an all-time record for goals during a single Final Four–and senior midfielder Luke Goldstock, a longtime contributor who finished third on the team in points last season.
UNC will also bring back face-off specialist Stephen Kelly–a player Breschi continually recognized by name for his efforts during the Tar Heels’ title run last May.
Of course, Breschi’s team will once again have to go through the most dominant conference in the nation before they even have the chance to defend their championship.
All five of the ACC teams were ranked among the top 14 in the poll, with No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 7 Syracuse, No. 8 Duke and No. 14 Virginia poised to have big seasons of their own.
The Tar Heels are scheduled to begin their schedule with a scrimmage against High Point on Jan. 21.
For the full list of America’s top 20 teams during the preseason, click here.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines