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Syracuse entered its matchup against North Carolina on the brink of losing any chance at an NCAA Tournament berth. And the Tar Heels seemed to make that absolute, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter.

But the Orange fought back with two 3-0 runs throughout the game as Jakob Phaup went 18-for-30 at the faceoff X to keep giving the offense opportunities. Brendan Curry took advantage of most of those looks, scoring three times including two in the fourth quarter itself. Still, Chris Gray scored with 15.3 seconds left in the game to give UNC the final advantage and secure SU’s first losing season since 2007.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (4-8, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) 14-13 loss to No. 15 North Carolina (8-4, 1-3 ACC) on Saturday:

Secondary scoring

After Phaup won the opening faceoff, the Orange immediately set up on offense behind the cage. Jacob Buttermore got the ball at the X, running around the left side of the cage with a defender on him. Curry came from the center of the field for a timely screen, opening up enough space for Buttermore to send the ball into the back of the net.

But after Buttermore’s goal, Syracuse missed its next 15 shots to end the first quarter. Tucker Dordevic scored at the beginning of the second quarter, and Buttermore tried to get hot again later in the period but did not score.

“We’re just shallow,” SU head coach Gary Gait said after the UAlbany game when secondary scorers struggled. “It’s not one player, it’s not two, it’s three or four or five that you replace, and it just makes it difficult.”

Curry and Dordevic led the charge offensively in the second and third quarters for the Orange. Curry got Jackson Birtwistle open in the final 30 seconds of the third after his defender slid towards Curry. Birtwistle scored, and at the start of the fourth quarter, he intercepted a pass from goalie Collin Krieg and found the back of the empty net.

And in the fourth quarter, the Orange earned a man-up opportunity with six minutes left in the game. Curry facilitated the offense, finding a cutting Pete Fiorini for the junior’s second goal of the season. Birtwistle scored again in the fourth as Syracuse moved fast in transition. Five quick passes landed his stick with the final one coming from Owen Seebold, who found Birtwistle on the left side of the crease unmarked.

By the end of the evening, five scores came from outside the Orange’s starting attack.

North Carolina’s secondary scoring

The Orange have done a good job of stopping some of their opponents’ best attacks this season. But that’s opened the door for second options to tear apart Syracuse’s defense when it misses certain slides or switches.

Three weeks ago, Jake Taylor set a Notre Dame single-game program record with eight goals after only scoring twice in the season. Two weeks ago, UAlbany scored two pole goals in the first half, and Adam Thistlethwaite, an Albany freshman who’d never scored before, had two more. On Saturday, freshman Dewey Egan found the back of the net twice in the first quarter after only scoring three times this year.

Egan’s first score came after a string of three passes landed on his stick. In one motion, he caught the ball and sent a backhand shovel shot past his former high school teammate Bobby Gavin. And after Jacob Kelly missed later, Egan picked up an easy ground ball and scored one on one with Gavin right outside the crease.

At the start of the second half, North Carolina ended a 3-0 run from the Orange with a goal from Nicky Solomon. Solomon hadn’t scored in the Tar Heels’ last two matchups, but after Saam Olexo followed Cole Herbert, he was left wide-open on the left side for a shot. Later in the third period, Solomon returned to the same spot, finding the top right corner of the net after Nick Caccamo slid late.

Curry dominates, but Dordevic ignites offense

Like last week against Cornell, Dordevic stayed quiet for the first quarter with only two shots as Curry took charge of the offense. But immediately at the start of the second period, Dordevic ended the scoring drought, spinning in the middle of traffic before sending a bounce shot into the back of the net.

With four minutes left in the second half, Dordevic got the ball at the perimeter. Running into the pass, Dordevic caught the ball with his left hand before immediately going right. Dordevic sent his defender in the other direction, stepping down to score from 15 yards out.

The Tar Heels started to double Dordevic even more in the second half. But he scored in transition, getting the ball on the right side of the field after Brett Kennedy took it coast to coast. Right after getting the pass, Dordevic dodged to his left this time, sending an underhand left-handed shot into the back of the net.

Opposing ride creates issues

Early in the season, Syracuse struggled against Virginia and Army’s rides. The Cavaliers’ 10-man ride — which involves the goalie leaving the net to guard an attack while the rest of the team moves one spot up — in particular caused problems, leading to five unsuccessful clears.

Five minutes into the opening period, Lance Tillman was called for a crease violation after slipping on the turf behind the cage. But the Tar Heels stayed aggressive on the ride, forcing SU to pass the ball around the cage to advance the ball.

Caccamo tried to flip the ball back to Gavin in goal, but he sent it a little too far. Gavin had to abandon the crease, though he did not secure the ball, allowing Gray to snatch it midair. Gray easily scored on the open net, giving the Tar Heels a 2-1 lead.

A few possessions later in the first quarter, the Tar Heels brought the heat again on the ride. This time, the Orange got past the midfield line in a few passes, getting it to Mikey Berkman on the left side of the crease. Berkman went low, but Krieg did as well, halting a scoring opportunity.

Published on April 16, 2022 at 6:47 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu