2001 Men's Lacrosse Roster
Matt Pessagno
- Position:
- Defenseman
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Harwood, Md.
- High School:
- St. Mary's
General: Three-year returning letterman for the Tar Heels...started all 13 games on close defense for UNC in 2002...started the last six games of the 2001 season as a wing player on faceoffs...first-team All-Metro selection as a senior in high school...one of the nation's hardest and more effective hitters in the high school game coming out of the prep ranks...was as good as they get at the high school level in stick work and aggressiveness...the southpaw is a punishing checker, a great cover man and a takeaway specialist on the close defense...makes life miserable for would-be scorers...generally spelled trouble for the top players from any opposing team...stats were not kept on his altered shots in high school but if they were, Pessagno would have been at the top of the list in that category.
2003 Season: Played in 10 games as a junior as a long stick defensive midfielder...also backed up at the close defense position...had five ground balls...season high for ground balls was two in the Stony Brook game.
2002 Season: Won the Kevin Reichardt Memorial Award as the most improved player on the 2002 Tar Heel lacrosse team...started all 13 games for Carolina on close defense and ranked third on the team in ground balls with 46...had a career high seven ground balls in the regular season game against Virginia...also had six ground balls against Virginia in the ACC Tournament and five against UMBC.
2001 Season: Played in 11 games as a freshman, missing only the Navy game...had 23 ground balls on the season...started the last six games of the season...scooped up a season high five ground balls against UMBC...had four ground balls against Delaware and three against both Duke and Virginia.
Prep: Graduated from St. Mary's High School in Annapolis, Md. in May 2000...a multi-sport athlete who excelled in lacrosse and football...named to the 2000 All-Anne Arundel County Boys Lacrosse Team by the Baltimore Sun... garnered first-team all-county, first-team all-state, and second-team all-metro honors as a junior and repeated those honors with a promotion to first-team all-metro as captain of his team his senior year...came through with one of his best efforts in an 8-2 victory over cross-town rival Severna Park, the state's 4-A/3-A state runnerup...Pessagno held Severna Park's second-team All-Metro player Paul Gillette to zero points in that game... was also captain of the football team his senior year...received the Buck Garner Football Award and was Most Valuable Player of the Bilderback Tournament...was captain of the team...played tight end and linebacker.
Personal: Given name is Matthew John Pessagno...has one sister.
Personality Chart
College Major...Economics
Hobbies...Golf, mountain biking, skiing, camping
Person Who Has Had The Greatest Influence On Your Athletic Career...My father
Favorite Book...On The Road
Favorite TV Show...Cops
Movie You've Most Enjoyed...The Big Lebowski
Biggest Sports Thrill...Beating Ronnie Staines in the River Classic football game
Complete Name...Matthew John Pessagno
Birthdate and Birthplace...March 15, 1982 in Washington, D.C.
Parents' Names...Nick and Ann Marie Pessagno
Matt Pessagno's Stat Lines
Year GP/GS SH G A PTS GB
2001 11/6 1 0 0 0 23 2002 13/13 0 0 0 0 46 2003 10/0 0 0 0 0 5 Totals 34/19 1 0 0 0 74
Career Highs: Ground Balls--7 vs. Virginia, 4-6-02
