The UNC men’s lacrosse team may be ranked in the top 10 in major preseason polls, but they’ll have to run through an ACC which resembles Murderer’s Row in 2022. The Tar Heels were picked to finish fourth in the conference in the preseason Coaches Poll Tuesday, behind No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 3 Duke and No. 1 Virginia. The Cavaliers are the defending national champions.

The Tar Heels will have four games against the teams ahead of them in 2022, including two against the Blue Devils. The first of those games will be a home matchup with Virginia on Thursday, March 10.

In addition, two Tar Heels were named to the preseason All-ACC team: attacker Chris Gray and midfielder Connor Maher.

It’s yet another honor for the UNC duo, who were also named Preseason All-Americans in December by USA Lacrosse Magazine. Gray was named the magazine’s Preseason Player of the Year. Both Gray and Maher were members of the All-ACC team in 2021, with Gray earning Offensive Player of the Year honors. He scored an ACC-leading 49 goals while leading the Tar Heels to the national semifinals.

The men’s lacrosse team opens its season on Friday, February 11 when it hosts Richmond at Dorrance Field.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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