Photo Credit: Jim O'Connor
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A pair of University of North Carolina men's lacrosse players recently underwent successful surgeries and are expected to make full recoveries. Tar Heel head coach Joe Breschi made the announcement on Tuesday morning.
Freshman midfielder Stephen Kelly of Lutherville, Md. (Calvert Hall) underwent surgery to repair a broken right wrist on Monday. Kelly suffered the injury in the first quarter of last Tuesday's 13-10 win over Harvard but completed the game nevertheless, winning 13 face-offs against the Crimson and claiming eight ground balls.
"We're thrilled the surgery for Stephen was successful. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to the future date when he is medically cleared to compete again," said Coach Breschi.
The time frame for Kelly's injury to heal has not been determined as of this date. In eight games this year, he was an outstanding presence for Carolina in the midfield. He was at 61.2 percent in the face-off circle, winning 74 of his 121 attempts. He led Carolina with 47 ground balls and also scored a pair of goals while committing only one turnover.
Freshman defenseman Jack Lambert of Cross River, N.Y. (John Jay) recently underwent successful knee surgery after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the closing seconds of the Tar Heels' game against Manhattan on February 16. Lambert is already in the rehabilitation phase of his recovery. He will miss the remainder of the Tar Heels' 2014 season but it eligible for a medical red-shirt, allowing him to retain four years of eligibility going forward.
"Unfortunately Jack was lost for the season but we are looking forward to him having a full recovery and being 100 percent again for us next fall," says Coach Breschi.