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Mitch Wykoff stumbled trying to clear the ball even with no one near him. And though Lucas Quinn found the ground ball, his pass to Griffin Cook across midfield was far too high and out of bounds. Syracuse head coach John Desko stared down the players as they streamed off the field and to the bench because, once again, North Carolina got the ball back to flex its nation-leading scoring offense. 

This was the story of the first half as the No. 5 Tar Heels (9-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) put away the No. 9 Orange (5-4, 1-3) with a 12-4 scoreline at the midway interval. Syracuse’s offense barely touched the ball, finishing with fewer shots on goal than UNC had goals in the first half. North Carolina beat SU 21-9 on Saturday in the teams’ only regular season meeting of the year.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s third loss at the Carrier Dome this season:

Picked apart

Nearly all of the first quarter was played in the Syracuse defensive zone. Winning only three-of-nine faceoffs and failing to clear the ball three times penned the Orange in their own half and forced their defense, which has struggled all season, to play expansive amounts. Without starting close defender Nick DiPietro and short-stick defensive midfielder Brandon Aviles, SU crumbled and allowed North Carolina seven goals in the first quarter and 12 by halftime.

Jacob Kelly found Connor McCarthy standing by himself on the crease for the first goal of the game, and it wouldn’t be the last time SU’s off-ball defense looked lost on Saturday. That’s been perhaps the Orange’s biggest weakness outside of faceoffs this season, and the nation’s top scoring offense took full advantage. Chris Gray, Alex Trippi and Nicky Solomon all picked up two assists by halftime. Gray would go on to finish with six assists and eight total points.

Faceoff fix 

Jakob Phaup still hasn’t quite broken out of his slump, going 4-of-11 in the first half. But his backup, Danny Varello, found a groove on Saturday. Since going 7-for-22 at Duke and two-for-seven against Notre Dame, Varello turned his performance around against Albany last week and continued strong play on Saturday, going 11-for-19. Using his physicality, he was able to dig the ball out multiple times against both faceoff guys UNC threw against him. The wings were more alert, too. Brett Kennedy picked up a season-high seven ground balls, largely a product of finding the loose balls off faceoffs. 

Swiss cheese

Coming into the season as a preseason All-American, Drake Porter became Syracuse’s first three-year starting goalie in a decade and a reliable pillar at the back who could steal games. He quelled Vermont’s upset bid earlier in the year with a career-high 21 saves, and he had 18 saves last year in SU’s comeback win against Army, then a career-high. 

But in recent ACC contests, Porter’s magic seems to have disappeared when the Orange needed him the most. With their defense struggling, a stand-out performance against either Duke or Notre Dame could have earned SU a second ACC win it needs so desperately to ensure a spot in the NCAA tournament. In both those games, though, Porter had a save percentage under .500.

On Saturday, Porter again couldn’t find the magical saves Syracuse has almost gotten used to receiving. Yes, plenty of the goals came around the crease and on step-down shots with no Orange defender closing out. There’s no excuse for how poorly the defense played. But the goals that snuck through the five-hole or whizzed above Porter’s shoulders in places he’s made saves before could’ve turned an UNC blowout into an uncomfortably tense affair for the Tar Heels, who were looking for their first win at Syracuse since 1991. It could have given the offense just enough breathing room to get going and pick up an upset the Orange didn’t deserve but could have used.

Instead, there was no magic. UNC flooded in 21 goals and blew open yet another gaping hole in Syracuse’s resume. 

Published on April 17, 2021 at 5:20 pm

Contact Arabdho: armajumd@syr.edu | @aromajumder