University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Men's Lacrosse Trio Voted 2026 Captains
November 13, 2025 | Men's Lacrosse
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Entering year 18 under the direction of head coach Joe Breschi, the North Carolina men's lacrosse program has named its captains for the 2026 campaign.
Graduate midfielder Ty English, along with senior defensive midfielder Leif Hagerup and attackman James Matan have been voted by their peers to lead the Tar Heels this season.
English, a product of Burlington, Ontario has been named a captain for the second-straight season. A year ago, English appeared in all 15 games, earning the start in 14. English finished the campaign with 20 goals, third-best on the Tar Heels, finding the back of the net in 12 games with seven multi-goal efforts. The graduate student collected 26 ground balls during the year, with eight contests collecting multiple ground balls.
For his efforts, English earned USILA Honorable Mention All-America recognition.
Hagerup saw time in 14 games a season ago, finishing the season with 10 ground balls and six caused turnovers. The Washington, D.C. native posted a ground ball in eight contests, including a season-best two ground balls versus No. 9 Army and No. 12 Duke. In the classroom during his time at Carolina, Hagerup is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team and three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Matan appeared and started in all 15 games for the Tar Heels last season, posting 15 goals and 10 assists during the year. To open the campaign, Matan had a goal and three assists versus No. 14 Michigan, followed by a stretch of seven-straight contests with a goal during the month of March. Matan's 24 ground balls was a career-high for the Kensington, Md. product, highlighted by back-to-back games with four-or-more ground balls against Penn and Princeton.
Since 2000, Hagerup and Matan are just the second duo to play together in high school and be voted team captains of the Tar Heels, joining Jacob Kelly and Connor Maher (2022 captains).
Graduate midfielder Ty English, along with senior defensive midfielder Leif Hagerup and attackman James Matan have been voted by their peers to lead the Tar Heels this season.
English, a product of Burlington, Ontario has been named a captain for the second-straight season. A year ago, English appeared in all 15 games, earning the start in 14. English finished the campaign with 20 goals, third-best on the Tar Heels, finding the back of the net in 12 games with seven multi-goal efforts. The graduate student collected 26 ground balls during the year, with eight contests collecting multiple ground balls.
For his efforts, English earned USILA Honorable Mention All-America recognition.
Hagerup saw time in 14 games a season ago, finishing the season with 10 ground balls and six caused turnovers. The Washington, D.C. native posted a ground ball in eight contests, including a season-best two ground balls versus No. 9 Army and No. 12 Duke. In the classroom during his time at Carolina, Hagerup is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team and three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Matan appeared and started in all 15 games for the Tar Heels last season, posting 15 goals and 10 assists during the year. To open the campaign, Matan had a goal and three assists versus No. 14 Michigan, followed by a stretch of seven-straight contests with a goal during the month of March. Matan's 24 ground balls was a career-high for the Kensington, Md. product, highlighted by back-to-back games with four-or-more ground balls against Penn and Princeton.
Since 2000, Hagerup and Matan are just the second duo to play together in high school and be voted team captains of the Tar Heels, joining Jacob Kelly and Connor Maher (2022 captains).
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defensive Midfielder
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attackman
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