Joe Breschi returned to Chapel Hill after the 2008 season to coach the UNC men’s lacrosse.  As a player, Breschi was one of the best in program history.  He was a two-time All-American and he played on two national teams.

Prior to taking the job as head coach of the UNC men’s lacrosse team, Breschi coached the Ohio State Buckeyes for 11 seasons.

While at Ohio State, Joe Brechi and his wife Julie started their family.  The couple had five children while living in Ohio: Michael; Samantha; Abigail; Lucy; and Emily.

Michael Breschi was tragically killed in 2004 after being struck by an SUV in the parking lot of his preschool.  He was 3-years-old.

Prior to Sunday’s quarterfinal victory over Notre Dame, senior captain Patrick Kelly dedicated the game to the coach’s son.  While speaking to ESPN after the game, Joe Breschi broke down:

 “Patrick Kelly spoke at breakfast this morning and dedicated the game to my son. I’m so proud of them. Proud of all of them.”

The UNC Athletics Department shared Breschi’s remarks from ESPN on YouTube.

NCAA Lacrosse shared the powerful raw video on Twitter.

 The UNC men’s lacrosse team will play in their first Final Four since 1993 on Saturday, May 28.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 16 Duke in Regular Season Finale
No. 16 Duke raced out to an early lead and never looked back in a 16-12 win against UNC Saturday at Dorrance Field in the regular season finale for both sides. The Tar Heels found themselves down 2-0 inside of two minutes played, then trailing 4-0 before finally finding the back of the net late […]
Overtime Winner Helps UNC Men's Lacrosse Escape No. 8 Virginia
Despite losing a four-goal lead in the final 5:28 of regulation, UNC found a winning goal in sudden-death overtime to beat No. 8 Virginia 16-15 in a thriller in Charlottesville Saturday. 🗣 HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/Y9oX8zVRcf — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 18, 2026 In a topsy-turvy game, the Tar Heels found themselves trailing […]
No. 1 UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls at No. 2 Notre Dame
In a matchup of the two top-ranked teams in the nation, No. 2 Notre Dame got the better of No. 1 UNC Saturday in South Bend, outscoring the Tar Heels 6-2 in the second half to earn a 10-5 win. Carolina started on the front foot after Dominic Pietramala and Brevin Wilson each netted goals […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Beats No. 3 Syracuse in ACC Opener
No. 2 UNC earned another ranked win Saturday in a heavyweight clash vs. No. 3 Syracuse, beating the Orange 14-9 at Dorrance Field. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/KVdR277PVR — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 4, 2026 UNC took a 1-0 lead inside a minute off an opening goal from Dominic Pietramala, but fell behind […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Head Coach Joe Breschi Agrees to Contract Extension Through 2029
UNC men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi, the winningest coach in program history, has agreed to a three-year contract extension through the end of the 2029 season. 𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 ✍️ Head Coach Joe Breschi has signed a three-year contract extension, through the 2029 season. #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/tcrmdWmOtG — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 2, 2026 Breschi has […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Trounces No. 3 Harvard; ACC Play Next
No. 4 UNC used an 8-1 run across the second and third quarters to blow open Sunday’s matchup with No. 3 Harvard in Maryland and roll to a 17-7 win. It was the first loss of the season for the Crimson, who had received a first-place vote in this week’s national poll. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Dominate Boston College, Men Outlast Army
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up wins against ranked foes at Dorrance Field Saturday afternoon. The top-ranked women’s team soundly beat Boston College, while the fifth-ranked men held on to beat Army. Both the Eagles and Black Knights are ranked No. 16 in the national polls. The women led off the […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Beats No. 9 Penn State in Crown Lacrosse Classic
UNC used clutch goals from Dominic Pietramala, Brevin Wilson and Owen Duffy to secure a 10-8 win against No. 9 Penn State at The Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte Saturday night. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/0bUNOCDofZ — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) March 15, 2026 Though the three fourth-quarter goals from Pietramala, Duffy and Wilson […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men, Women Both Dominate in Home Wins
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up comfortable home wins Saturday, with the top-ranked women defeating Pitt 19-3 and the No. 5 men defeating Brown 19-7. The women were up first Saturday, and they quickly took control with two goals in the opening two minutes. The first half was all Tar Heels, […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men's and Women's Teams Both Ranked No. 1 in Latest Polls
As of Feb. 23, 2026, Chapel Hill is the center of the collegiate lacrosse world. The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both ranked No. 1 in the latest Inside Lacrosse polls, which were released Monday. 𝗡𝗼. 𝟭 𝗨!@UNCMensLacrosse joins @uncwlax at the top spot in the Week 3️⃣ @kanefootwear Media Polls. pic.twitter.com/ckKe35KDZT — […]
›