Matt Kelly Biography

• Entering his fourth year as a starter on defense
• Preseason honorable mention All-American by Face-Off Yearbook
• Has shut down some explosive scorers throughout his career

2008
• Started all 18 games
• Career-high 48 ground balls, tied for 20th in the nation and fourth among ACC close defensemen
• Sixth in the ACC with 17 caused turnovers
• Led the team in ground balls four times
• Season-high seven ground balls vs. Syracuse in national semifinals
• Five ground balls vs. Drexel, Syracuse and Princeton
• Held Johns Hopkins’ Steven Boyle without a goal for the second year in a row
• Limited Bobby Trenkle of Stony Brook to just one assist

2007
• Played in all 16 games, starting 15
• Scooped 43 ground balls, sixth among ACC defensemen
• At least three GBs in six games
• Third on the team with 18 caused turnovers
• Career-high nine ground balls to lead the team vs. Binghamton
• Held Dan Hardy, Syracuse’s goal leader, to just one goal in a UVa win
• Limited Steven Boyle, Johns Hopkins’ fourth-leading scorer, to only one assist and 0 of 6 shooting
• Allowed only one goal to Gavin Petracca, North Carolina’s second-leading scorer

2006
• One of the leading freshmen defenders in the country
• Named to the Inside Lacrosse All-Freshmen team
• Started all 17 games to become the first freshman defenseman in school history to start 17 games and one of only four rookies ever to start so many games
• 33 ground balls were sixth among ACC close defensemen
• Opened his career with three ground balls vs. both Drexel and Denver
• Season-high four ground balls in win over North Carolina
• Followed with four more against Maryland in the finals of the ACC Tournament

HIGH SCHOOL
• Starred in both lacrosse and football
• All-American
• Two-time all-state selection and three times all-conference
• Set the school record for ground balls
• Team MVP and team captain
• Second-team all-state running back as a senior when he rushed for more than 1,850 yards and 29 touchdowns
• Three-time all-conference choice
• Set school records for rushing (4,033 yards) and touchdowns (47)

PERSONAL
• Son of Jane and Peter Kelly
• Born 10-26-86 in Kenilworth, Ill.
• Two older brothers, Jim and Pete
• History major

KELLY BY THE NUMBERS