LaxPower Back-Up Stick

After two years of average play, close games lost, but flashes of brilliance along the way; what's needed to bring our Heels back too a consistent top 5 team?

Did anyone attend the UNC v OSU scrimmage last night at Calvert Hall? I heard the unofficial score was 14-7 Carolina but interested in knowing how they looked especially the freshmen. I also heard they looked good against High Pt the previous weekend so maybe the 2019 Heels will be better than the 2018 team was.

I'm curious, too. Anyone know anything about the scrimmages? Freshmen? Who's taking Cloutier's spot?

Guess I needed to wait a day for the Inside Lax game summary!

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... game/53176

Sounds like the Heels had lots of firepower from different players. I did notice some key players were missing like Rowlet and Will Perri. Perhaps Will Bowen is the next Austin Pifani which they badly needed. Glad to see Coach Unterstein has them playing fast aggressive defense. I think with their athleticism they should match up well this year with teams like UVA and Duke. Improvement in the cage and faceoff are much needed for the Heels to be competitive again. So far it appears they are trending in the right direction. We will know more in 100 days. clock1 I think the ACC should be very competitive with UVA being the favored, but not by a huge margin.

UVA getting much
press but Duke still Duke

Takeaways from the High Point and Ohio games from a nonexpert. I felt UNC's defense was much improved from last year. They seemed to work very well together: slides were quick and effective and everyone was talking and supporting each other. Defense caused a lot of turnovers just from sticks being up in the passing lanes. They played aggressive defense the entire time. UNC had more penalties than the other teams so we saw UNC"s man down unit a lot. I thought they did a great job. I bet they were on the field 10-12 times (through both games) and only let up 2-3 points and several times caused turnovers.

On attack the two new freshmen played really well and they will be immediate contributors. As another writer indicated several players, like Will Perry weren't in the games. But there is a lot of depth on the UNC team. The freshman FOGO was impressive. Quick and strong. If he didn't come away with the ball, he really fought for it. The other team had very few fast breaks from the face off X. In general, the freshman got a fair amount of playing time and I think they will be a very good class.

RE shot clock: I found the shot clock really quickened the pace of play. To me, the game seems very different from last year. While teams did a lot of subbing, (few if any two way middies), it was quick. There were no periods were the game came to a halt like last year while teams subbed players. Separately, from what I saw I think the clock makes the ride even more important. In particular, UNC's ride was really impressive and they caused both teams a lot of trouble. 80 seconds is not a lot of time, particularly for the initial possession. If the ride forces the other team to waste 15-20 seconds clearing the ball, that leaves them with only 60 seconds to run an offensive play. More often than not, the opposing team was able to get off one shot within the next 40 seconds and that left them with 20 seconds for their second attempt - not a lot of time. There really is no time for mistakes on offense now. None of the teams used zone and all defenses pressed out. The 80 second reset however, gives the offensive team a lot of time and you could see pressure on all the teams lift when they got their second chance.

Go Heels!

Joey Sankey announces on Instagram he has been diagnosed with testicular cancer

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpF9y2DhSA1 ... 3ga0x7vdgq

Good luck Joey, many are praying for you and confident you will beat this challenge.

Bowen is the real deal. Had 3-4 caused TO in the OSU game at CHC. Marry his ability with Unterstein coaching and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a 1st or 2nd team AA year 1.

Unterstein’s grit and mentality will have this team playing with a defensive swagger we haven’t seen in quite some time down in CH !!

Many starters didn’t play at event (Timmy Kelly - concussion, Perry - didn’t travel with team due to breaking team rules, Rowlett, Muenro - sprained ankle). Solomon looked good man up, Trippi and Anderson making things happen, easily beating their man

Biggest question marks like recent years past will be X and goalie play.

Prayers going out to Joey Sankey. One of the toughest competitors on and off the field !! Stay strong and fighting JS !!

Go Heels !!

Oak St wrote:
Unterstein’s grit and mentality will have this team playing with a defensive swagger we haven’t seen in quite some time down in CH !!

Hope so! Look forward to seeing the defensive improvement on the field.

Anyone have any updates on UNC’s schedule? Looks like we play Bucknell on March 12 at home and UVA on April 6 at UVA. Does anyone else know anything?

I’m also excited about Timmy Kelly and Justin Anderson as captains this year. Having Justin for 2 more years, especially with Tanner Cook and William Perry, will make for an exceptional first midield line and offense. When was the last time we had a junior captain?

bradensa wrote:Anyone have any updates on UNC’s schedule? Looks like we play Bucknell on March 12 at home and UVA on April 6 at UVA. Does anyone else know anything?

I’m also excited about Timmy Kelly and Justin Anderson as captains this year. Having Justin for 2 more years, especially with Tanner Cook and William Perry, will make for an exceptional first midield line and offense. When was the last time we had a junior captain?

@ Maryland 3/23
Harvard 2/16
UNC 2/23

2/2 @ Merger (atl)

2/9 vs Furman

2/16 vs Harvard

2/23 vs Nopkins

3/2 vs Denver

3/8 vs Marist

3/12 vs Bucknell

3/17 Cleveland St in Bmore

3/23 @ Maryland

3/30 vs Duke

4/6 @ Virginia

4/13 vs Cuse

4/20 @ Notre Dame

4/25 - 4/27 ACC Tourney in CH (Thursday play-in game, Saturday semis )

5/4 - ACC championship game in CH

Looks like they changed the structure of the ACC tourney, where ALL teams get in. Great idea

Go Heels !!

What happened with Steven Schneider? Not on roster...

admin wrote:What happened with Steven Schneider? Not on roster...

Transferred to Michigan.

I think UNC will be much improved as long as Breschi keeps the promise he made when he was initially hired to bring a run and gun style of play back to the program. Unterstein's hire inspires hope that it will happen on the defensive end of the field. Perhaps utilizing a deep bench on offense will help lessen injuries to players, who we rely on to get the job done during crunch time, that should not be over-relied upon!!!

Anyone see the scrimmage?

nclaxin wrote:Anyone see the scrimmage?

Interested who played and in what roles. Hopefully everyone is healthy and ready to go for the start of the season

Bummer news on Bowen. https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... news/53618

Anyone attend the Loyola scrimmage? Results didn't sound too promising...

Anyone attend the scrimmage and have a clue who started?