Hester Keeps Dolphins Close, But UNC Prevails
by Jeff Elliott | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
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Jacksonville defenseman Garrett Swaim breaks from the pack with the ball Saturday in the Dolphins' spirited 11-5 loss to No. 4 North Carolina. © Gray Quetti |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- Jacksonville University gave nationally-ranked North Carolina a surprisingly competitive battle for two and a half quarters before the No. 4 Tar Heels scored four of the game's last five goals in an 11-5 win in the season opener for both men's lacrosse teams in front of a record crowd of 4,780 Saturday afternoon on JU's home field.
Not only was it the first game of the season for Jacksonville, it was the first contest ever for JU, which started its men's and women's lacrosse programs this year. The Dolphins thus became the first college in the state of Florida to play lacrosse on a Division I level.
Florida will also field a varsity women's team for the first time this year, with the Gators playing their initial game in two weeks when Jacksonville comes to town.
The JU men's team looked anything but a neophyte in the opening 30 minutes of play, battling the Heels on nearly even terms and trailing just 5-3 at halftime. Only a 4-1 UNC advantage in the third quarter enabled the Heels to pull away for the win.
"We told the guys before the game, don't even look at the scoreboard; just play hard and try to make the next play," JU coach Matt Kerwick said. "I'm proud of their effort. We're out here to win games but the effort today was exactly what we had hoped for. The execution was a little bit to be desired at times. We struggled as a young team with our clearing game. We'll learn a lot from this one."
North Carolina might have made it a one-sided affair if not for the effort of Jacksonville goalie Brad Hester. One of the few seniors on the team, Hester was credited with 17 saves as UNC outshot Jacksonville 42-22.
"We are so fortunate to have a goalie like Brad," Kerwick said. "He showed a lot of people how talented and how enthusiastic he is back there. He's come in at mid-year to be one of our leaders right out of the gate."
Hester was called on to stop a number of point-blank range shots. He was at his best in the second quarter, when he was credited with six saves and only allowing a pair of goals. Jacksonville, playing a number of its 37 freshmen players on its 50-man roster, continually allowed UNC attackmen to get good position in front of Hester.
"This was a good test for our guys in our first game," Hester said. "I felt good about the way I played. I came in with a focus, expecting that I would be facing a lot of tough shots in the game. I thought our defense played really hard."
Jacksonville did a good job of shutting down All-American Billy Bitter. The junior attackman scored the Tar Heels' first goal at the 12:45 mark of the first period, but failed to collect a goal or assist the rest of the game.
Sophomore Thomas Wood picked up the slack however, scoring three times and assisting on a fourth goal. Sean DeLaney and Marcus Holman added a pair of goals for North Carolina.
Jacksonville's Ryan Serville scored the first of his two goals at the 8:27 mark to match Bitter's earlier goal. Serville's second score came with 1:49 left in the opening period to cut the UNC lead to 3-2.
After the 5-3 halftime lead, the visitors bunched four goals in the third period within a four-minute span midway in the quarter to open up a 9-4 lead. Wood and DeLaney scored within a minute of each other near the midway point of the fourth quarter to secure the win.
North Carolina coach Joe Breshchi praised the play of Jacksonville in the school's first varsity contest.
"They're going to make some noise this year, not years down the road," the UNC coach said. "They've already made some noise and that's a good thing. It's good for the sport and great for the state of Florida.
"No question you can see their potential. A very spirited group that is aggressive, well-coached, well-schooled. We have the utmost respect for their team and staff."
