3 2002 University of Northcarolina Men's Lacrosse Media &Information
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The North Carolina men’s lacrosse team resolve in winning at Virginia enters the second year of the John Haus’ which was only the second ACC coaching era in the year 2002 with renewed win for the Tar Heels since 1996 optimism. and winning in the last second of After posting only one winning season since the game at Navy. Haus hopes 1996, the Tar Heel men’s lacrosse program is that those kind of experiences looking to have a breakthrough year in 2002 will give an inexperienced team that will elevate the team back into the Top 10 like the Tar Heels the confidence in the nation and into the NCAATournament to be able to compete in close for the first time since 1998. games in the future. It will not be an easy task, however. The One thing is for sure. The Tar Tar Heels again face one of the top schedules Heel team worked hard in the off- in the nation and 13 lettermen and four starters season to improve itself and Haus from the 2001 squad must be replaced. But was pleased with the attitude of Haus, who returned to his alma mater in the the returning players. This year’s summer of 2000 after head coaching stints at senior class could become the Washington College and Johns Hopkins, does first since 1975 to have never have 32 lettermen and six returning starters to made an NCAA T o u r n a m e n t work with as he seeks to craft this Tar Heel appearance and that has driven team into a unit worthy of post-season consid- the upperclassmen to improve eration. The Tar Heels have also added Haus’ their conditioning, stick skills and first recruiting class as the UNC head coach team chemistry during the sum- and Carolin lacrosse fans are justifiably excit- mer and fall ball. This Tar Heel ed about the chances that this 13-man group team returns several key players Midfielder Pat Jackson heads a seven member senior will include several impact players right off in the senior and junior classes, class for the Tar Heels in 2002. A Baltimore native and the bat. has a sophomore class returning Loyola High School grad, Jackson has been in the mid - Haus’ first Carolina team went 6-6 in 2001 which showed some definite die rotation since his freshman year and is counted on (1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference). Key promise last season and a fresh- for good things again this year. losses to Patriot League champion Bucknell man class which is Haus’ first and UMBC (by one goal on the road) denied recruiting class, a group of play- the Tar Heels a chance to play in the NCAA ers with tremendous potential. 26 goals and 12 assists for 38 points and he Tournament. The Heels also lost to ACC The Tar Heels will however have to replace ended his Carolina career 10th in points and champion Duke twice, to Maryland and to some key components of the 2001 team. Gone fifth in goals. Johns Hopkins. But Carolina showed some are first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference After three years as one of the top long stick players Bobby defenders in the country, Gormsen moved into Gormsen and a starting role for the Tar Heels at close Jeff Sonke as defense as a senior, started all 12 games and well as another was named first-team All-ACC and honorable starter on last mention All-America. Gormsen was the year’s defense, leader of the Tar Heel defense in 2001 and he Hunter Sims, finished second on the team in ground balls and Carolina’s with 47. top two faceoff Other key losses included Sims, who started men last year-- all 12 games on close defense, and the faceoff Ryan Damon duo of Hammer and Damon. Hammer led the and Mac team in ground balls with 50, won 47 faceoffs H a m m e r . and had nine points in his senior year. Damon Sonke was was limited by injuries as a senior but also won named All- 47 faceoffs. A C C in both Other losses included defensive middie Joel 2000 and 2001 Miller, defender Jon Mankein, goalkeepers and was also Rob D’Urso and John Cattonar and attackman named a second Judd Lattimore. Lattimore had seven points as team All- a senior and D’Urso started six games for America each UNC last year , allowing 9.3 goals per contest of those sea- and saving 54 percent of the shots against him. sons by the Rounding out the list of lost lettermen are U . S . midfielder Peyton Chane, who missed last sea- I n t e r c o l l e g i a t e son because of injury, defenseman John L a c r o s s e O’Hara and midfielder Peter Dell’Olio. Of the A s s o c i a t i o n . 13 lost lettermen, eight were seniors last sea- He was son. One of North Carolina’s top returnees is sophomore attackman Andrew C a r o l i n a ’ s So the question now turns to what does Lucas. Lucas started all 12 games as a freshman and was UNC’s third- leading scorer Haus have to work with as the Tar Heels pre- leading scorer with 11 goals and eight assists. last season with pare for the 2002 campaign. The answer is 32 returning lettermen and a 13 member freshman 3 2002 University of NorthCarolina Men’s Lacrosse Media &Information Guide Follow Carolina Lacrosse on the Internet www.tarheelblue.com UNC--America’s Oldest Public University class that should give the Tar Heels a strong N.Y. (Yorktown High School) infusion of talent. and Drew Habeck of Crownsville, Carolina’s attack unit will be headed up by Md. (Severn School). returning starters Steven Will, a junior from The Tar Heel midfield unit will Phoenix, Md., and Andrew Lucas, a sopho- be led by junior tri-captain Austin more from Glen Arm, Md. Will is a two-year Garrison of New Canaan, Conn. starter for the Tar Heels, having played mid- who is a two-year starter. The field as a freshman before being converted to athletic Garrison was Carolina’s attack last season. Will was Carolina’s second fourth leading scorer for the 2001 leading scorer last season with 19 goals and 10 team with seven goals and 12 assists, shooting 27 percent. Lucas started all assists for 19 points. Garrison also had 34 ground balls last sea- son. Other top returning letter- men in the midfield include sen- iors Pat Jackson (Timonium, Md.) and Tim Gosier (Roxbury, Mass.). Jackson has seen exten- sive playing time each of his three years at Carolina and had eight goals and one assist last season. Gosier had a career high 10 goals for the Tar Heels last season. Both are expected to produce at the highest levels of their careers as seniors. The Tar Heel midfield corps Sophomore Matt Pessagno was a pleasant surprise for took a hit in the preseason when the Tar Heels last season. He came off the bench early sophomore Lance Zimmerman and then earned starts in the last six games as a defen - (Cockeysville, Md.) tore an ante- sive midfielder and wing player on faceoffs. rior cruciate ligament and had knee surgery and is out for the (Dulaney High School), the younger brother of season. Zimmerman was the Tar Heels’ fifth UNC starting junior attackman Steven Will, leading scorer as a freshman last season with Teddy Hayes (Chevy Chase, Md., The Landon eight goals and four assists. School), Matt McIntosh (Brentwood, Tenn., Other returning lettermen include juniors Montgomery Bell School), whose brother is a Kyle Bell (Baltimore, Md.), Peter Anselmo junior at UNC and a special team starter on the (Massapequa, N.Y.), Justin Reed (Darien, football squad, and Brian Dibbert (Chapel Hill, Senior midfielder Tim Gosier looks to have Conn.), Brandon Pierce (Durham, N.C.) and N.C., Durham Academy), whose father is pres- a standout final season as a Tar Heel. He Jack Alsup (Winston-Salem, N.C.) as well as ident of the UNC General Alumni showed marked improvement as a junior sophomores Jesse Kohler (Timonium, Md.), Association. and scored 10 goals on the season. Phil Pennington (Birmingham, Mich.), Kevin Defensively the Tar Heels will count on Frew (Baldwin, Md.), Johnny S e i v o l d returning starters Ronnie Staines and Zack 12 games for the Tar Heels just like Will and (Efland, N.C.), Dave Duffy (Garden City, Leader to lead the way. Staines, a sophomore was the third-leading scorer with 11 goals and N.Y.), Dan Stringer (Baltimore, Md.), Brad from Severna Park, Md., started all 12 games eight assists for 19 points while scoring 26.8 Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.). for the Tar Heels on close defense last season, percent. Bell is one of the Tar Heels’ veteran middies scooping up 29 ground balls. Leader, a junior A third attack returnee for the Tar Heels is having played extensively the past two sea- from Birmingham, Mich., missed all of last senior Andy Jonas, one of the tri-captains and sons. Last year he had seven goals and two season, but he started all 14 games for UNC on a Charlotte, N.C. native. Jonas has seen exten- assists for the Tar Heels. Anselmo also saw close defense in the 2000 season. sive playing time as a reserve each of the past his first season of extensive playing time a Another player with starting experience is two seasons.