Goldstock, Kelly to lead UNC into ACC men’s lacrosse tournament play

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina Tar Heels attackman Luke Goldstock and faceoff specialist Stephen Kelly will be key players to watch in the upcoming 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s lacrosse championship tournament that begins play on Friday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga.

Following the 10th-ranked Tar Heels’ comeback win over then No. 1 Notre Dame last Saturday, both swept league honors as Goldstock was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week while Kelly was selected as Defensive Player of the Week.

Goldstock’s four goals and two assists throughout were particularly critical in generating an 8-1 fourth-quarter scoring burst that propelled UNC from five goals down with less than 10 minutes to eventually beat the Fighting Irish 17-15.

Kelly won 19 of 35 face-offs, matched a season high with 12 ground balls, and scored the eventual winning goal with 2:50 remaining.

Goldstock and Kelly lead the top-seeded Tar Heels onto the field against No. 4 seed Syracuse at 6 p.m. on Friday seeking a spot in the championship final.

No. 2 seed Notre Dame will play No. 3 seed Duke afterwards at 8:30 p.m and set the stage for the final game on Sunday to determine which team will earn an automatic berth in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.