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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Head coach Gary Gait said Friday that the Orange’s 11-day break made them “hungry,” especially since they had a bad taste in their mouth following a double overtime loss to Cornell.

“You want to do something about it but you can’t,” Gait said. “So you just got to show up every day at practice to work and get better so that you hope you get a good result the next time you play.”

No. 7 Syracuse got the result it wanted, but it wasn’t easy. North Carolina scored the opening three goals Saturday before Syracuse took a commanding lead. Then, the Orange didn’t score for nearly 25 minutes, allowing five straight goals from the Tar Heels. Will Mark made a key save on the Tar Heels’ final possession, finishing with 13 saves.

Here are some observations from No. 7 Syracuse’s (10-4, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 10-9 win over North Carolina (6-6, 0-2 ACC):

Spallina dishes

After notching zero assists in Syracuse’s loss to Notre Dame, Joey Spallina recorded four to keep the Orange close against the Big Red. He maintained his quarterback ability Saturday with five assists throughout the afternoon.

Spallina began with a flashy behind-the-back pass to Billy Dwan in transition, looking for his own opportunity with two minutes left in the first. Spallina backed down his defender on the left side, but couldn’t find an alley to shoot. Instead, he tossed it to Christian Mulé, who was cutting toward the crease, for SU’s first lead of the game.

Midway through the second quarter, Spallina stationed himself at the left wing. Jake Stevens cut from the opposite side, catching a feed from Spallina before a twister finish. Spallina scored on the man-up close to four minutes later, heading into halftime with as many points as North Carolina had goals.

In the second half, Spallina resumed his usual role at X. He’s made himself notorious for waiting and waiting at the position much to the disarray of the opposing defense. While Spallina stayed at X, Stevens found space on the left wing a minute into the third, rocketing an underhand shot into the back of the net.

Shots galore

Gait expected to face a lot of attempts from the Tar Heels, who have the fourth-best offensive pacing in the country, according to Lacrosse Reference. North Carolina’s high-octane offense is led by Owen Duffy, Logan McGovern and Dominic Pietramala, who account for 52% of its goals this season.

Duffy rattled off the first two shots of the afternoon, trying to find the back of the net curling from X. The first was stopped by Mark and the second was blocked. The Tar Heels reset the clock and fired two more, which were both saved by Mark.

However, UNC found the back of the net after the Orange quickly stalled on offense. Duffy lost the ball briefly, picking it up before spinning inside of two defenders to score roughly 30 seconds into the possession. North Carolina scored two straight after, dragging out a man-up opportunity to the final second before Pietramala gained a step on Caden Kol to bury his shot into the top right corner.

But the Tar Heels’ luck ended and they didn’t score for another 20 minutes. During that time, two possessions were halted from moving screens. Overall, they turned the ball over 11 times in the first half. Five were caused by SU.

No March, no problem

Associate head coach and offensive coordinator Pat March was ejected early in Syracuse’s 18-17 double overtime loss to Cornell after contesting an offsides call. Gait said he inquired about the decision after the game, but there is no system for appeal at the collegiate lacrosse level.

Without March, Syracuse’s attack looked lost. Despite having 11 days to prepare for his absence on the sidelines Saturday, the Orange looked the same early.

Michael Leo tried to find a tight angle on SU’s first possession, creating an easy save for Collin Krieg. Then, Luke Rhoa went one-on-one with his defender and misfired. Following the Tar Heels’ second goal, Mulé was called for a moving screen. Mulé was saved at point-blank range a minute later.

But the Orange got into a rhythm near the end of the first quarter. Kol kickstarted a clear with five minutes left, breaking the ankles of a North Carolina player before launching it to Dwan at midfield. Dwan passed to Spallina, who flipped it back to him behind his back. Dwan buried it for his sixth goal of the year.

Close at X

North Carolina entered the contest with the second-best faceoff win percentage nationally (63.3%), but the Orange kept it close at the X, securing 52.2% of battles.

John Mullen took 10 faceoffs throughout the afternoon, losing in his first appearance. On his second, Sam English secured the ground ball close to Syracuse’s defensive zone. He lofted it to Mullen, who sprinted directly at the crease and ripped into the back of the net, tying the game at 3-3.

Mullen made a few more key wins, including one in the fourth quarter where he swiped the ball to Carter Rice to give Syracuse possession. But the Orange couldn’t cash in on the other side. After the Tar Heels cut SU’s lead to two, Mullen won again, this time securing the clamp.

Published on April 13, 2024 at 3:29 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu