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After starting 3-0 for the first time since 2020, Syracuse traveled to College Park, Maryland, to face the then-No. 9 Terrapins in its toughest test of the season at that point.

Maryland had come off its first loss since 2020 after losing 12-7 to Loyola, but it bounced back against Syracuse with a 15-12 win. It was a game of runs early on as UMD jumped out to a 3-0 lead right out of the gates before the Orange countered with the same run. Ultimately, a fourth quarter comeback attempt by Syracuse was unsuccessful, losing its first game of the season.

On Saturday, the Orange welcomed No. 12 North Carolina into the JMA Wireless Dome. Last season, Syracuse fell 14-13 in Chapel Hill, its eighth loss of the season. Both sides were even in the first period, but a 7-2 quarter for the Tar Heels gave them a 12-6 lead at the halftime break.

Here are some observations from Saturday’s game between Syracuse and North Carolina:

Struggles in goal

Multiple times on Saturday, UNC often shot to the top shelf of the goal to get past Will Mark. To score their goal, the Tar Heels moved the ball around before finding Logan McGovern on the right side. McGovern had a minimal shooting window, but rifled it into the upper part of the net as Mark was slow to react.

Then, Sean Goldsmith notched his first goal of the afternoon, receiving a pass from McGovern. Though with more of an angle, Goldsmith went high, beating Mark once again. On one Tar Heel possession in the second quarter, Mark had made three consecutive saves — the shots were relatively low. But Harrison Schertzinger scored on the fourth and final shot of the possession, aiming high.

On the day, Mark wasn’t his finest, making 17 saves on 36 shots on goal for a 47.2% save percentage. Some of the goals were practically impossible to save. Lance Tillman dumped the ball off to Goldsmith, who was wide-open right near the cage. Goldsmith took a couple of steps and placed it easily behind Mark. On one play, Mark left his goal to check McGovern’s stick, but McGovern maintained possession, scoring on the open net and building an 11-6 UNC lead. Mark did make some key saves, especially in the third quarter when the Orange started to cut the deficit.

Turnovers

In the second quarter, Johnny Richiusa had just won the faceoff, an area where he won 16-of-35 in the afternoon. He retreated into his defensive zone, seeing Mark open back near his goal as an option. But his pass completely missed Mark and UNC attacks rushed for the ball, eventually securing a turnover. Mark was way out of his goal, but UNC just missed the opportunity. Later, Mark began the clear for Syracuse, but his initial pass was too strong for his intended target, turning the ball over once more.

On another play, Owen Hiltz had possession on the right side of the offensive zone. He tried to pass it to a cutter, but the pass was deflected and scooped up by the Tar Heels. In the first half alone, Syracuse had nine turnovers as UNC constantly checked Syracuse’s sticks and the Orange had occasional faceoff violations. By the end of the game, Syracuse finished with 12 turnovers.

In the third quarter, Hiltz tried to switch the field. Threading a pass to Finn Thomson, Thomson couldn’t control it as the Tar Heels picked up the ground ball. Thomson would’ve been in prime position for a shot, but Tillman scored for the Tar Heels on the other end.

UNC’s dominant 2nd quarter

Through one quarter, Syracuse just trailed the Tar Heels by one, giving up a goal with just 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter. But in the second, UNC took over, scoring seven goals compared to Syracuse’s two. The Orange gave up the most goals they had in a half and were just three shy of the most in an entire game this season.

Right off the faceoff after UNC went up 8-5, the Tar Heels immediately scored on the next possession. Matt Wright fired a shot from the right wing. The ball bounced right in front of Mark, but he couldn’t stop the shot. Then, on UNC’s final goal of the half, Antonio DeMarco began his dodge from the left side of the goal. He edged around his defender, slipping it just past Mark.

Syracuse managed just a couple of goals in the period, including when Joey Spallina found Griffin Cook. Spallina, standing at X, waited for Cook to cut down the middle toward the goal. Cook received the pass and scored. But in the period, it was all the Tar Heels as they notched 22 shots compared to the Orange’s seven in the period.

Making the cutting runs

Good passing and off-ball movement set up much of Syracuse’s success on offense throughout the game on Saturday. On Syracuse’s first goal of the afternoon, Alex Simmons began his dodge at the top before retreating. This allowed Hiltz to cut toward the middle. Simmons found Hiltz, who caught the ball, shot and scored to give SU an early advantage.

On another goal, Hiltz tried to find a cutting Luke Rhoa, who was settling near the cage. Rhoa could not possess the ball, but Cole Kirst scooped it. Kirst shot high while UNC goalkeeper Collin Krieg went low. Syracuse scored a chunk of its 13 goals using off-ball movement, rather than a solo dodge.

Published on February 25, 2023 at 5:42 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini