It was almost like re-watching the same movie or Vine over and over again.

Chris Cloutier just kept scoring and scoring and…well you get the point.

When it was all said and done, the UNC sophomore attacker ended up with a Final Four record nine goals–as the Tar Heels hammered the No. 7 Loyola Greyhounds 18-13 in Saturday’s NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Semifinal at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

It was the latest outstanding performance from a UNC squad (11-6) that clearly is peaking at the right time.

The reward is a shot for the school’s first National Championship in the sport since 1991, and a chance to be the first six-loss team to ever win an NCAA Championship.

Steve Pontrello had two goals and a career-high three assists against Loyola. Two of those assists were to Chris Cloutier. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Steve Pontrello had two goals and a career-high three assists against Loyola. Two of those assists were to Chris Cloutier on passes from behind the net. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Loyola (14-4) fought valiantly to keep the final score respectable, but never once had control of the game in its first loss since March 12.

Steve Pontrello, Luke Goldstock and Timmy Kelly each added two goals for UNC, while Brian Cannon, Patrick Kelly and William McBride chipped in one apiece.

Six of Cloutier’s goals came during a first half where the Tar Heels outscored their opponents 14-5–putting the game away before it ever had a chance to get started.

UNC used its athletic advantage to break down Loyola’s man-to-man defense during the early portion of the first quarter–simply running free of their matchups, then finding Cloutier in front of the net ready to dump it in.

“He’s big, strong, he’s tough, he can turn the corner and he’s getting to the middle of the field–which is big,” UNC head coach Joe Breschi said, when asked what makes Cloutier so good. “And his teammates are sharing the ball.”

A clearly shaken Loyola team–trailing 9-2 after just 15 minutes–swapped out their talented goalie Jacob Stover for backup Grant Limone, while also falling back into a more conservative zone defense.

The result was more goals for the relentless Tar Heel attack, which was enabled by junior Stephen Kelly’s 14 face-off wins in 21 attempts.

At one point early in the second quarter, UNC scored three goals in 15 seconds–two by Cloutier–thanks to a pair of fastbreaks started by Kelly’s faceoff work.

Down by nine goals at the break, Loyola could have easily let up.

Goalie Brian Balkam and the UNC defense held strong in the second half when the offense went through a scoring drought. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Goalie Brian Balkam and the UNC defense held strong in the second half when the offense went through a scoring drought. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

As the Tar Heels became more patient in their approach, however, the Greyhounds turned up their intensity level on both sides of the ball.

After Cloutier’s eighth goal made UNC’s lead 16-8 late in the third quarter, Loyola held the Tar Heels scoreless over the next 15 minutes.

Not until the score was 16-12–and just over five minutes left on the clock–did Cloutier get back on the board.

The Greyhounds put one more in the net after that, but Pontrello countered to give UNC the final goal.

Just as his tears defined the team’s emotional victory over Notre Dame last weekend, Breschi couldn’t help but flash a big grin once it was all over in this one.

“We’ve got one more game,” Breschi said. “We’re playing Monday.”

Up Next:

UNC awaits the winner between No. 1 Maryland and No. 5 Brown.

The National Championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday.

Game Notes:

  • Cloutier broke Billy Bitter’s school record of eight goals in a game, and became the first player from any school to score nine in an NCAA Tournament game since 1992.
  • Loyola star freshman Pat Spencer finished the game with one goal and five assists.
  • UNC’s 18 goals were the most it’s scored since a 20-10 win over Michigan in the season opener back on Feb. 6

 

FINAL STATS

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