A slow, dampening drizzle on Alumni Field ushered North Carolina, the tenth ranked team in the USILA coaches’ poll, onto Alumni Field’s turf surface to take on the nineteenth ranked Fairfield Stags. The sprinkle turned into a constant, overbearing downpour as soon as the first whistle blew.

It might as well have been an omen, as the Tar Heels delivered a steady stream of explosive offense at the Stags in the early goings to jump to a quick lead. The fast start, coupled with a 5-0 second quarter stretch, led North Carolina to a 12-8 victory.

For Fairfield (5-4, 1-3 ECAC), it was their fourth consecutive loss, as well as their third loss to a nationally ranked team in a four-week period.

The Carolina offense, led by highly-touted midfielders Ben Hunt, Rob Driscoll, and Nick Tintle, scored four consecutive goals to start the game, including the first in a mere 59 seconds.

Chris Campbell `09 got the ball rolling for Fairfield with the first goal at 5:01 to play in the first.

Seniors Greg Downing and Tim Gazzini followed, both scoring in a period of 1:18 with only 1:06 remaining, pulling Fairfield within one goal at 4-3.

Unfortunately for Downing and company, one goal was as close as they’d get.

The second quarter was all North Carolina. The Heels went on to score five unanswered goals, including two from midfielder Rob Driscoll, as they headed into halftime with a 9-3 lead.

It could have been an even larger margin if it hadn’t been for six saves from goaltender Mike Kruger.

During the second quarter, the Stags were outshot by a lofty 13 to 4 in the second quarter.

The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth contest that was highly competitive.

Playing from behind, though, was just simply too much for the Stags, as they played the entire 30 minutes of the second half down by a margin of three goals or more.

The Stags were able to accumulate some positive energy in the game, as they outscored their opposition 5-3 in the second half.

A key component in the loss was face-offs – as Carolina won 15 of the 24, aiding in their control of ball possession.

The Tar Heels finished with 25 groundballs, as compared to 18 for Fairfield.

Greg Downing broke out in a big way, despite facing long-pole defenders and double teams, to score three goals and an assist.

Mike Bocklet, last week’s NEILA player of the week for New England, also tallied a goal in the losing effort.

Fairfield now heads back on the road for an ECAC contest against Loyola (Md.), a critical game in their quest for a postseason birth.

Last season, the Stags defeated the Greyhounds in overtime, 13-12.

The season concludes with two more ECAC games against UMass, last season’s national runner-up in the NCAA tournament, and St. John’s.

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