Tucci Breaks Single Game Face-Off Wins Record In Carolina Victory Over Bryant, 18-16

Tuesday, March 10

Chapel Hill, N.C

11 a.m. ET

North Carolina

7-0

Bryant

3-4

Bryant

North Carolina

Zac Tucci

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Tucci Breaks Single Game Face-Off Wins Record In Carolina Victory Over Bryant, 18-16

March 10, 2020 | Men's Lacrosse

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 5 North Carolina men's lacrosse team came back from a halftime deficit Tuesday to beat the Bryant Bulldogs, 18-16 for its seventh-straight victory of the season. The Tar Heels' 7-0 start to 2020 marks the fourth season that North Carolina has opened with seven-consecutive victories under the leadership of head coach Joe Breschi (2010, 2015, 2020) and just the sixth time in the program history.

Sophomore face-off specialist Zac Tucci had record-breaking performance to help Carolina secure the team win. Tucci won 25 of his 38 face-off attempts, the most single-game face-off wins by a Tar Heel in the history of North Carolina men's lacrosse. The previous record was shared by Shane Walterhoefer and Stephen Kelly who won 23 face-offs against Ohio State in 2008 and against Virginia in 2017, respectively.

Tucci also had his second of back-to-back games with a career-high ground ball total. The sophomore from Bedford, New Hampshire racked up 13 ground balls at Furman on Friday before besting that personal record against Bryant with 14, tying the second-most ground balls in a single game in program history. Tucci tied Jude Collins who picked up 14 ground balls against Maryland in 1996. Only five Tar Heels have recorded 15 ground balls, the program record, on just seven occasions.

Off the draw, momentum shifted from one team to the other each quarter. Carolina once again ended the first quarter with the lead, but Bryant forced the Tar Heels into their first two-goal deficit of the season with seven goals in the second quarter. Trailing at the half for the first time in 2020, the Tar Heels came out firing in the third period and scored eight goals to Bryant's two to regain a lead they would not give up. Bryant fought back with five goals in the fourth, but Carolina's three goals helped stave off a loss.

Although they handed the Tar Heels their most goals-against of the season, Mike Pressler and his Bulldogs fall to 3-4 on the season with the loss to North Carolina.

Carolina remains undefeated in the all-time series against Bryant with three-straight victories. Tuesday's 18-16 result marked the largest margin of victory for Carolina in the series and nearly doubled the previous combined goal total in a UNC-Bryant matchup. Both of the programs' previous matchups were decided by just a single goal – 5-4 in 2010 and 10-9 in 2015.

Now 7-0, the Tar Heels will prepare for their first top-10 matchup of the season when they host No. 9 Georgetown at Dorrance Field Saturday at 1 p.m. Carolina will have another round of Tuesday and Saturday home games next week with Dartmouth at 7 p.m. on March 17 and No. 4 Maryland on March 21.

Key Moments
» The Tar Heels kept up their season-long streak of ending the first quarter with the lead. Chris Gray and Nicky Solomon picked up two goals apiece while Tanner Cook topped off Carolina's five-goal opening period.
» Carolina was served its first two-goal deficit of the season after Bryant went on a 6-1 scoring streak in the second period. Despite solo goals from William Perry and Chris Gray, the Tar Heels trailed at the half for the first time in 2020 with Bryant up, 9-7.
» Firing back with eight goals, the Tar Heels had 10 different point scorers in the third period alone. Nicky Solomon and Chris Gray both put up one goal and two assists; Tanner Cook scored his sixth man-up goal of the season; and three Tar Heels scored their first goals of the season. Three points came from long poles Matt Wright (1g, 1a) and Patrick Lyons (1a) while Zac Tucci (1g) and Parker Alexander (1g) each scored their first goals of the season.
» Carolina held onto the lead with three goals in the fourth. Zac Tucci earned his 23rd, 24th and 25th face-off wins to tie and then break the program single-game face-off wins record after picking up his 14th ground ball in the third quarter for a new career record.

Other Notable Individual Highlights
» Zac Tucci went 25 of 38 on the face-off for the most face-off wins in a single game in program. Taking all 38 attempts, Tucci took the most face-offs of his career while matching the team's most face-off wins in a game this season. He previously recorded 20 of Carolina's 25 face-off wins at Furman on Friday. Tucci also scored his first goal of the season against Bryant and the fourth of his career.
» Chris Gray quietly recorded an eight-point game with four goals and four assists, his fourth game with four assists in 2020. Gray has led the team in points in five of his seven games in Carolina blue with two nine-point games against Johns Hopkins (8g, 1a) and Furman (5a, 4a).
» Tanner Cook earned his fifth hat trick of the season to extend his season-long streak of multi-point games. Cook has earned at least three points in Carolina's last six games and opened 2020 with two (1g, 1a) against Colgate.
» Cook's man-up goal in the third quarter gives him his sixth of the season, tying him for second in NCAA Division I lacrosse. His six goals tie him for seventh in school history in man-up goals scored in a season. Only six Tar Heels have scored 7 or more man-up goals in a season with William Perry holding the program record with 11 in 2018.
» Jack Pezzulla subbed in for Caton Johnson in the second quarter and went on to earn his first win of the season with a season-high, six saves on 24 shots faced in over 35 minutes.
» A number of Tar Heels recorded the first points of either their careers or the season. Parker Alexander scored his first points of 2020 with a career-high, two goals for a career-high, two points; Matt Wright recorded the first goal and first assist of his career for a career-best, two points; Zac Tucci scored his first goal in 2020 for the fourth of his career; Cam Macri had his first assist of the year and the second of his career for his third game with a point; and Patrick Lyons earned the first point of his career with an assist to Matt Wright on a pole-to-pole goal.

Notable Team Achievements
» The Tar Heels totaled 18 goals – one man-up – and 12 assists for 30 points on 44 shots. The team also combined for 44 ground balls and four Heels forced six turnovers in its seventh win of the season.
» UNC is undefeated in its three-game series against Bryant, and the Tar Heels' 18 goals against the Bulldogs are the most in the history of the series. Tuesday's 18-16 result also mark the most combined goals in the UNC-Bryant series. In 2015, Carolina won, 10-9 five years after winning the first-ever meeting, 5-4.
» Carolina currently tops the NCAA in points per game (30.17) and looks to hold onto that lead with another 30-point performance. The Tar Heels have now totaled 30 points in five of their seven games this season.
» Carolina recorded its best shots-on-goal percentage (0.750) of the season with 33 of 44 shots on target.
» After zero extra-man opportunities at Furman, North Carolina went 1-1 on EMOs against Bryant with a man-up goal by Tanner Cook on an assist from Nicky Solomon in the third. Carolina is now 17 of 22 attempts for a success rate of .773, the best in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse.