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In its final road game of the regular season, No. 1 Syracuse (15-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast) pulled out a nail-biting 14-12 win over No. 5 North Carolina (11-3, 6-2 ACC).

The Tar Heels struck first before the Orange piled on goal after goal to take a controlling 7-2 advantage. From there, a 4-0 North Carolina run brought UNC back into the game, and the two sides traded goals for much of the second half.

Meaghan and Emma Tyrrell both led Syracuse with six points apiece in the victory while goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer equaled a career-best 15 saves.

Here are some observations from the game:

Targetless Tar Heels

Not even a minute into the second quarter of play, North Carolina’s Caroline Godine earned a free-position — UNC’s seventh opportunity from the 8-meter of the afternoon. The whistle blew and Godine was granted permission to move forward. Instead, she immediately looked back and pitched to a teammate waiting a few paces in front of the 12.

Godine’s hesitation in shooting toward goal could have been chalked up to head coach Jenny Levy’s game plan. Maybe the turn away from goal was for clock management reasons, or maybe, it was because the Tar Heels found zero success against Syracuse goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer from free-positions so far.

In the opening quarter, North Carolina notched six free-position opportunities and fired towards goal on every chance. The first shot on goal, in game, from either side, came from Melissa Sconone, which Sweitzer palmed away. Then, at the 12:47 mark in the first period, Sweitzer denied Olivia Dirks to keep UNC from obtaining a 2-0 lead. Next, Reilly Casey hit the upper post.

After the first 10 minutes, Sweitzer and Syracuse headed into the second quarter up 5-2. After hitting the bar, Casey shot high once more and wide for a third miss. With 6:29 remaining until halftime, Alyssa Long found the bottom left corner for North Carolina’s first free-position score on its eighth attempt.

SU’s scoring drought

After Sconone opened the scoring for North Carolina, Syracuse responded by going on a 3-0 run.

Emma Ward found Emma Tyrrell from behind the cage for an easy score right outside the crease before Maddy Baxter sliced through the 8-meter, holding off UNC’s Nicole Humphrey, to give the Orange its first lead. Emma Tyrrell netted again with 7:09 left in the first to give Syracuse a 3-1 lead. The two teams then went back and forth with SU holding a 5-2 lead going into the second.

Although the Orange managed to notch three goals, the Tar Heels enjoyed a 3-1 run of their own. Then, quick goals from Savannah Sweitzer and Megan Carney opened up a 7-2 SU advantage. Following a Caroline Godine score, Natalie Smith dodged past Ellie Traggio, entering the 8-meter, to unleash a powerful shot that found the left roof of the net.

But, for the remaining 7:52, Syracuse did not score. Instead, after Long converted North Carolina’s first free-position goal of the afternoon, Marissa White, a 2023 Tewaaraton Award finalist, helped the Tar Heels draw within two heading into halftime.

Godine circled around the crease behind the cage and pump-faked a multitude of passes. Finally, she found White making a slashing cut, in behind the Syracuse defense, towards the net. Godine launched toward White, who had no trouble finding a well-placed finish past Sweitzer.

It only got worse for the Orange to start the third period. Godine used a half-spin and pivot to escape Katie Goodale at X before rounding the crease and slotting home. The goal was her second of the contest and a game-high fifth point. A minute later, after Long’s potential game-tying free-position was ruled as a crease violation, Caroline Wurzberger found the net to cap off a 4-0 UNC run.

Draw control troubles

Earlier in the year, against then-No. 12 Notre Dame, Syracuse lost draw control specialist Kate Mashewske to a season-ending injury. It has since tested out a rotation of players at the faceoff circle including Goodale, Baxter and Olivia Adamson, to name a few. Coming into today’s matchup, North Carolina had suffered a similar problem. It was without Virginia-Tech transfer, and draw-control specialist, Sophie Student.

In the early going, Syracuse struggled with its draw controls. Although Adamson had notched a career-high 12 of SU’s 14 in its win over Clemson last time out, the Orange could not keep a grapple on possession after the restart. In the second and third quarters, North Carolina slewed together a couple of game-changing runs off what seemed like two consecutive offensive possessions.

Players on both sides showed hustle and battled hard but North Carolina’s placement and positioning of its sticks gave the Tar Heels a clear advantage on the draw.

Late in the fourth quarter, despite regaining the lead, Syracuse trailed 18-11 in draw controls. Then, after Carney’s go-ahead goal that gave the Orange a slim 13-12 lead, Adamson won SU’s 12th draw control of the afternoon. Ultimately, Syracuse were outplayed in the circle but pulled out possession when it mattered.

Natalie Smith loves playing the Tar Heels

Last season, as a sophomore, Smith had one of her best offensive games of the year against North Carolina in a 14-12 loss. She recorded her first career hat trick.

Today, she tied a career-high three goals — the most she’s scored in almost a calendar year. It’s only fitting that the feat came versus the Tar Heels.

Meaghan held possession on the right wing a few steps inside the 12-meter. She looked toward the middle for a pass as North Carolina sent a double team her way. Picking out Smith at the 8-meter, Smith caught the ball and fired an inch-perfect attempt past UNC goalkeeper Alecia Nicholas and into the top left corner of the net for her first goal.

After another piercing shot, sandwiched between two Tar Heel goals, Smith achieved her hat trick off of a free-position opportunity. Holding the ball on the right side of the 8-meter, Meaghan lofted a pass to Smith on the other side of the fan as play resumed. Positioned right in front of the crease, Smith slotted home an easy look on goal.

Published on April 15, 2023 at 3:25 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff