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Syracuse outlasted Princeton last week on the road, earning its first win against a ranked opponent in over a year. Nine points from freshman Joey Spallina paced the Orange on offense, while Will Mark saved 17 shots on goal in the win against the Tigers. 

SU, now inside the top 20 again, heads to a second straight away game in hopes of avenging a loss that saw the Tar Heels hang 19 goals — at the time, the most against SU on the season — in a dominant win at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Here is how our beat writers predict Syracuse will fair in its second matchup with UNC on Saturday:

Anish Vasudevan (10-2)
Maryland Melee
Syracuse 15, North Carolina 13

Syracuse is finally out of a rut. The Orange dominated Princeton in every aspect of the game last week, the biggest sparks coming from Spallina’s nine points and Jack Fine’s 20 faceoff wins. North Carolina is a formidable opponent and easily handled SU earlier this season, but if Spallina and Fine can carry their momentum into this Saturday, Syracuse can scrape a win in Olney, Maryland. 

The key to defeating the Tar Heels will be stopping Logan McGovern. When McGovern has been kept under five points, UNC has lost in all but one game this season. Against Syracuse in February, he recorded four goals and four assists. The latter is more concerning for the Orange, as the Tar Heels average the second-most assists per game nationally. Mark can only do so much – the defense needs to limit UNC’s long possessions, especially late in the game.

It took some time, but Spallina is finally comfortable against tough opponents. He finished with five points against the Tar Heels the first time around, but I expect to beat that mark in this game. Simply put, no team has found a solution for his ability at the X. Syracuse should take this one easily. Then, it’s time to upset Virginia.  

Connor Smith (11-1)
DMV dub
Syracuse 15, North Carolina 14

Syracuse hits the road this weekend, not for a true road test, but for a neutral site matchup against North Carolina at a suburban Washington, D.C. high school. The hope is for the Orange to impress recruits and alums from the District-Maryland-Virginia region, and it’s a good thing they’re coming into this game riding on some momentum. 

Their opponent, the Tar Heels, just got whooped at home versus Virginia, recording their worst defensive performance of the season efficiency-wise. UNC’s second-worst performance, though, would be against Syracuse, back in late-February, when the Orange scored 13 goals on 25 shots on net. 

Few offenses have figured out Carolina’s top-ranked defense this season, but SU has. And with Mark still playing well, and Syracuse’s face-off and ground ball struggles sorted out — maybe — I like the Orange to squeak out a win in this one. After Hobart, head coach Gary Gait said that every contest remaining was a playoff game for SU. After a win over UNC, Syracuse will still have two must-win games to play for. 

Anthony Alandt (8-4) 
Tar Heel takedown
North Carolina 18, Syracuse 15

I’m glad Syracuse has proved me wrong on a few occasions, most notably in an upset win over Princeton that catapulted it back into the national rankings. There were still the familiar defensive breakdowns and late-game runs against the Tigers that have plagued the Orange this year, but they closed out the win.

I think this game will technically be closer, but the Tar Heels already overmatched Syracuse, putting up what was at that point the most goals against of the season. My fellow beat writers’ optimism isn’t misplaced. 

This is going to be a back-and-forth game for North Carolina that will feature what Syracuse can truly be at its best, but I don’t see Syracuse’s offense being consistent enough to overcome a much better team. I also wouldn’t be discouraged by this loss. It really should show that Syracuse is able to hang with a nationally ranked team for four quarters — it just isn’t quite there yet.

Published on April 12, 2023 at 10:22 pm