It wasn’t always easy, but the No. 6 UNC men’s lacrosse team opened its 2022 season with two home wins over Richmond and Colgate.

Carolina took the lead just 30 seconds into the opener against the Spiders on a goal from senior attacker Jacob Kelly, and led 4-0 midway through the first quarter. But Richmond fought back, scoring six of the next seven goals to lead 6-5 at halftime, finishing off the second quarter with three consecutive scores.

“We knew how good Richmond was, how talented they are, very well-coached,” said head coach Joe Breschi, now in his 14th season leading the Tar Heels. “I love how we responded at halftime.”

Indeed, after the Tar Heels and Spiders exchanged two goals apiece to begin the second half, Carolina put the pedal to the metal with three straight goals to end the third quarter, taking a 10-8 lead into the final period. They would finally put away the Spiders with three more goals in the fourth quarter to take a hard-fought 13-9 victory.

Kelly finished with a hat trick and two assists, but the top scorer of the day was preseason National Player of the Year Chris Gray, who finished with four goals and four assists, for a total of eight points. Gray’s 11 shots taken were almost half as many as the entire Richmond team (24). 15 different Tar Heels fired a shot, and seven players found the back of the net. For the game, Carolina outshot the Spiders by a 58-24 margin. UNC sophomore keeper Collin Krieg finished with six saves, anchoring a defense featuring three new starters.

“It’s only going to help us down the road,” said preseason All-American midfielder Connor Maher. “It was a great first game and I thought everyone just kind of grinded and did a great job.”

Maher and the Tar Heels had no such trouble two days later against Colgate in Chapel Hill. Carolina exploded out to a 7-1 lead midway through the first quarter, using a goal from Gray and two apiece from Kelly and junior attackman Lance Tillman to do the damage. UNC would extend that lead to as many as nine goals at 13-4 in the third quarter, with Gray’s seventh goal of the young season punctuating the run.

Gray, Kelly and Tillman were three of 10 Tar Heels who found the back of the net against the Raiders. Junior midfielder P.J. Zisner and senior attackman Nicky Solomon each netted their first goals of 2022 in the rout. On the other end, Krieg once again anchored Carolina’s defense with eight saves on the day.

Now 2-0 in 2022, the Tar Heels will stay at home next weekend when Ohio State visits Dorrance Field.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to Richmond in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
Richmond outscored UNC 11-5 in the second half of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Dorrance Field, leading the Spiders to a 13-10 upset win over the No. 8 overall seed Tar Heels. UNC’s season is over. Carolina led for the entire first half, jumping out to a 4-0 lead early in the second quarter […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament
It’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
Duke Throttles UNC Men's Lacrosse in ACC Tournament Semifinals
UNC fell into a huge hole early against No. 3 seed Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday night and never recovered, falling to the Blue Devils 14-7 in Charlotte. Duke went ahead within the opening minute and increased that lead to 2-0 less than a minute after that, setting the stage for what would […]
3 UNC Men's Lacrosse Players Earn All-ACC Honors; Joe Breschi Named ACC Coach of the Year
UNC men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi was named the ACC Coach of the Year Tuesday afternoon, and three of his players earned All-ACC nods as well. All-ACC Honors 😤 pic.twitter.com/bmuz2Kl9GR — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 29, 2025 This is the fourth ACC Coach of the Year win for Breschi, who also took home […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Wins at No. 10 Syracuse, Clinches Share of ACC Regular-Season Title
UNC held off a furious rally from No. 10 Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday afternoon and beat the Orange 14-12 in the regular-season finale. Carolina’s win clinches a share of the ACC regular-season title, which is the program’s first since 2021 and 14th overall. HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/FcCrtY2rqV — UNC Men's […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falters Late, Loses to No. 9 Notre Dame
No. 9 Notre Dame closed Saturday’s game against No. 5 UNC with seven unanswered goals, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 12-6 win for the Fighting Irish at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels started hot on the day, leading 4-0 after the first quarter and 4-1 at halftime. The Irish came on strong in the […]
6 UNC Lacrosse Players Named Tewaaraton Award Nominees
Six UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse players have been named as nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the national player of the year. On the men’s side, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala both earned nods, while Sam Forrest, Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Chloe Humphrey and Ashley Humphrey are nominated on the women’s side. 🗣️ Tewaaraton […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Win at No. 12 Duke, Women Roll Past Cal
Both UNC lacrosse teams stayed hot during the weekend, with the No. 7 men earning a hard-fought 8-7 win at No. 12 Duke Saturday (their first in Durham since 2016) and the top-ranked women cruising past Cal 21-7 Sunday. In the men’s game, early goals from Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala staked UNC to […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Lose at No. 9 Army, Women Win at No. 20 Notre Dame
Both UNC lacrosse teams took to the road this weekend, with the No. 5 men’s team losing at No. 9 Army and the No. 2 women’s team winning at No. 20 Notre Dame. The men couldn’t quite dig out of a late three-goal deficit in West Point Saturday, as the Tar Heels scored twice in […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Cruise Past Hofstra, Women Stay Undefeated vs. No. 14 Virginia
Both the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams earned home wins at Dorrance Field Saturday. The men’s team bounced back from its first loss of the season with a comfortable 18-7 win vs. Hofstra, while the women’s team stayed undefeated by beating No. 14 Virginia 20-8. On the men’s side, Carolina raced out of the […]
›