Bryant takes on No. 2 North Carolina on ESPN3 Tuesday at 4 p.m.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team faces its toughest test of the season Tuesday afternoon, facing off against No. 2 North Carolina at 4:00 p.m. at Fetzer Field live on ESPN3.

The Bulldogs (1-4) will need to upgrade their performances on both sides of the ball if they hope to hand the high-powered Tar Heels (6-0) their first loss of the season.

North Carolina's six victories this spring have come by an average of 9.5 goals per game, as the Tar Heels put up more than 17 scores each time out and have posted a pair of wins over fellow top-10 opponents this season, including a 12-10 triumph over then-top-ranked Denver Feb. 27.

"This is a great opportunity to see where we are at against a very elite team early in the 2015 season," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "Personally speaking, I have so much respect for [head coach] Joe Breschi, his staff and his players, and for all they have accomplished during his tenure."

Senior attack and Tewaaraton Award hopeful Jimmy Bitter leads the way with 32 points off 16 goals and a team-leading 16 assists for the Tar Heels, who lead the nation at 28.0 points per outing. UNC paces the country in numerous categories, including scoring offense (17.50) and assists per game (10.50), and ranks second in both ground balls per game (39.17) and shot percentage (.380).

Sophomore attack Luke Goldstock has found the back of the net on 17 occasions (25 points), while two other Tar Heels – senior starters Joey Sankey and Chad Tutton – have double-digit goals with 11 and 14, respectively. Sankey is second on the team with 26 points, adding 15 helpers to his offensive numbers.

The Bulldogs will look to capitalize at the X with senior captain Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) despite a strong matchup against North Carolina top faceoff specialist Stephen Kelly, who is 76-of-147 (.517) on the year with a team-leading 32 ground balls. Kelly ranks 32nd nationally from the X. Massa, who has posted a .596 (65-109) winning percentage with 41 ground balls this spring, ranks 13th at the X and ninth in ground balls per game (8.2).

Between the pipes, the Tar Heels have utilized a pair of options behind six-game starter Brian Balkam, who posts a .565 save percentage and 7.27 goals against average in 165 minutes of action. Balkam played just a single quarter in UNC's 26-6 win over Manhattan last time out, before giving way to Kieran Burke (.452 save pct., 11.33 GAA) for the second and Duncan Saunders (.500, 6.29) for the third and fourth. Saunders and Burke have each appeared in a quartet of games for the Tar Heels, with Burke picking up the win against Denver. As a unit, UNC goalies post an 8.00 GAA and .515 save percentage in 2015.

"One of their goalies is a righty and one's a lefty, so if they do split time, there is a big adjustment to make at halftime," said Pressler. "You have to make a wholesale adjustment in your shooting."

Sophomore starting defenseman and Preseason All-ACC pick Austin Pifani will look to cause havoc on close defense, pacing the team with nine caused turnovers while picking up 15 ground balls. Zach Powers adds six more forced giveaways, as UNC averages 7.5 caused turnovers per game. Conversely, the Tar Heels only turn the ball over 11.1 times per outing, good for fourth fewest in the nation.

"You're not a top-2 team in the country if both of those stats [turnovers and caused turnovers] are not in your favor," said Pressler. "I think for us, it comes back to the fact that we haven't played a complete game this season. We've had glimpses of playing well, but we have not yet put a complete effort together in all phases of the game, and that is our objective on Tuesday."

Bryant will look to break through a stellar Tar Heel defense with strong attack play behind leading scorer Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.), who has 10 goals and 14 points on the season. Sophomore linemate Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) matches Morrell's point total, finding the back of the net nine times with five helpers. James has scored a goal in all five contests this season while also putting up multipoint performances each time out in 2015.

The duo is joined by standout freshman Cam Ziegler (Carlsbad, Calif.), who has five tallies and eight points on the year. Bryant's top attack unit is just 24-for-72 on the year, however, with the Black and Gold posting a .262 shot percentage as a team.

"Our offense has to understand the tempo of the game, first and foremost, and secondly, we have to take good shots," Pressler said. "Poor shots equal turnovers against us and the ball at the other end, and that is not the formula for success."

Equally as important is a strong game out of the midfield for a Bulldog side that will be playing in warm weather for the first time all season. Junior Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) enters the game off a career-high four goals in a loss at Drexel Saturday afternoon, and the three-year starting middie is tied with Ziegler for third on the scoring charts (6 goals, 8 points).

The Bulldog close defense, led by senior captain Connor Dent (Havertown, Pa.), will need to limit the opportunities of UNC's potent attack. Dent paces the team with five caused turnovers on the year while linemates Chas South (Lincroft, N.J.) and Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, Calif.) add four apiece. Opponents are 3-for-9 in extra-man opportunities.

The final line of defense falls to junior goalie Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.), who has seen mixed success in the season's early goings. Waldt has 40 saves through five appearances, posting a .444 save percentage and a 10.48 goals against average between the pipes.

Tuesday's game marks the second all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Tar Heels, with Bryant dropping a tight, 5-4 decision in Chapel Hill to kick off the 2010 season.