North Carolina at Navy: Halftime thoughts
Without senior attackman Tim Paul, No. 11 Navy has struggled to gain some semblance of consistency or confidence on the offensive end.
Trailing No. 3 North Carolina, 6-1, at halftime, the Midshipmen (1-1) have failed to put the kind of pressure they should apply to a first-year starting goalkeeper like Tar Heels junior Chris Madalon.
Navy, which had committed 18 offensive turnovers in last Saturday's 8-7 overtime loss to No. 10 Loyola, has at least half of that in the first half tonight. As a team, the Midshipmen have coughed up the ball 13 times. (By comparison, they surrendered the ball 24 times to the Greyhounds.) That's a big reason why they have taken just 12 shots compared to North Carolina's 19.
Senior attackman Evan Sullivan's extra-man goal with 16 seconds left in the second quarter finally snapped a Tar Heels 6-0 run. But without Paul, Navy doesn't seem to have the player who can quarterback the offense and get it established.
Other notes:
*Tar Heels junior attackman Billy Bitter isn't scoring at quite the same clip as he was last season, but he's still a dangerous player. He's so good at moving without the ball that the Midshipmen can't afford to forget about him and maybe pressure the ball carrier. And when Bitter has the ball, he's so quick. He basically shook off junior defenseman Michael Hirsch behind the net and found senior attackman Gavin Petracca for an open-net score on North Carolina's fifth goal of the half.
*Entering the game, Tar Heels junior face-off specialist Michael Burns had won 19-of-31 (.613) face-offs. But like Loyola's John Schiavone, Burns has been neutralized by the Midshipmen duo of senior Robby Battle and sophomore Logan West. Battle and West have combined to win 6-of-8 face-offs thus far, and they'll probably have to repeat that performance if Navy harbors any hope of mounting a comeback.
*Each of North Carolina's six goals has been assisted. The Tar Heels are doing a sensational job of beating the first defender, waiting for the slide and then finding the open man for a high-percentage shot. The Midshipmen have to tighten the defense and avoid getting beat, especially in the slot area.
