With the tuneups out of the way, Ohio State is staring at the meat of its schedule. And it kicks off with a banger against North Carolina. Little, if anything, is really known about these two teams yet, so this contest should really let the world know who is for real.
Like Ohio State, the Tar Heels come into this game 2-0, having utterly demolished a bad Mercer team 25-3, and dispatching a game Johns Hopkins squad 11-7. It took a 5-0 4th quarter run to secure the Johns Hopkins win for North Carolina, showing a bit of vulnerability for the Tar Heels early in the year.
Ohio State, as we have seen, hasn't really been tested in wither of their games, so there's a different dynamic there. The Buckeyes are looking to improve their stock for the postseason, and will want to make another statement like last year's demolition in Chapel Hill.
Offensively, North Carolina is a completely different team from last year. Chris Gray, probably the most dynamic offensive player in college lacrosse the past few years, is gone. So is the rest of the 2022 starting attack lineup.
The Tar Heel midfielders are essentially brand new as well. That lack of cohesion shows, with Johns Hopkins holding UNC to 17% shooting through three quarters. That's not going to let you beat teams that are more complete than the Jays.
At attack, North Carolina has moved former blue chip middie Dewey Egan (#21) down low, placing him with Lance Tillman (#0) and Logan McGovern (#1).
Egan was the most efficient, shooting 33%, but no Tar Heel scored more than two goals against Johns Hopkins. The team is trying to learn how to be more balanced on the fly after two years of running things through the departed Gray. We will see how that works out for them. Ohio State has done well this year shutting down the big names of opponents. The supporting cast for UNC will have to step up.
In offensive midfield, the big story is PJ Zinsner (#44). Zinsner scored two scorchers against the Jays, on just two shots. He was the most productive middie, even though he didn't start.
Johnny Schwarz (#6), Henry Schertzinger (#2), and Antonio DeMarco (#15) started for UNC, but this position has been a problem for Carolina the past few years. Despite rolling in 5-star after 5-star, the players just haven't panned out for the Heels. Not like their neighbors down in Durham.
For a Buckeye defensive unit that has struggled against middies, this will be a welcome matchup heading into some really big games. We will see if they're up to the task.
Defensively, North Carolina started Evan Egan (#22), Paul Barton (#24), and Andrew Geppert (#9). Johns Hopkins jumped out to an early lead, but the defense did pitch a shutout in the 4th quarter. And held the Jays to just over 25% shooting through 3. That's pretty good.
That said, however, Ohio State is a far better offense than either Hopkins or Mercer. This is a gut check game for the Heels.
In goal, Collin Krieg (#39) put up 14 saves, double the number of goals he allowed. That's outstanding. Skylar Wahlund will have his work cut out for him this week as he tries to matchup against a goalie who looks to be in midseason form.
At faceoff, Andrew Tyeryar (#3) took every draw for North Carolina, going 13-22 to tilt things towards North Carolina. That's good, if not elite, work. Drew Blanchard got a lot of rest for Ohio State, assuming he wasn't injured, so this will be a very good litmus test for the Ohio State unit. If Blanchard is full go, he should hit 60%.
On special teams, North Carolina got absolutely no work on the Man Up, while they shut Hopkins out on Man Down. The two teams appear to be almost mirror images of each other on this front. No clear advantage at this time.
Rolling into this game, both Ohio State and North Carolina are undefeated and looking to keep a solid start going. I have to give the edge to Ohio State, if only because Jack Myers is still healthy and a Buckeye. Were that not the case, I might feel differently. But Ohio State is sure of its identity coming in, and had shown some real offensive punch this year. I don't expect a blowout. But the Bucks win.
Final Score: Ohio State 17, UNC 13.
Go Bucks!
