The seventh-ranked UNC men’s lacrosse team made a loud statement Saturday afternoon, traveling to face the No. 1 Denver Pioneers in the Mile High City–and coming out with a 13-9 upset victory.

Senior attacker Luke Goldstock scored four goals–all in the first half–to lead the Tar Heel offense at Peter Barton Stadium, with Justin Anderson and Chris Cloutier each adding two goals apiece for head coach Joe Breschi.

UNC (4-1) also received an amazing 17 saves from goalie Brian Balkam–turning the tables a week after No. 5 Johns Hopkins handed the team its first loss of the season thanks to a fantastic performance in front of net from the Blue Jays’ Gerald Logan.

The Tar Heels built a 7-3 halftime lead behind Goldstock’s run of scoring, and went on to hold the lead throughout–never letting Denver (4-1) come within three goals during the second half.

Freshman Ethan Walker was the Pioneers’ standout performer on Saturday, scoring a hat trick and also dishing out an assist.

As good as Walker was, the Tar Heels made sure his breakout game wouldn’t get in the way of the statement they were trying to make coming off of a tough loss.

UNC used this matchup between the nation’s preseason No. 1 team and its current No. 1 team to firmly establish its place–yet again–among the teams to beat come NCAA Tournament time.

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will return to Chapel Hill and begin a five-game homestand at Fetzer Field next Saturday, Feb. 11 with a game against Hofstra at 2:30 p.m.

Game Notes:

  • Denver won 14 faceoff opportunities, compared to UNC’s 10.
  • The Pioneers also tallied more shots than the Tar Heels, building a 43-34 advantage in that category.
  • Luke Goldstock (11) took over the UNC team lead in goals from Cloutier (10) after outscoring him 4-2 on Saturday.

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

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