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Despite three nonconference losses through its first seven games, Syracuse is 3-0 to start Atlantic Coast Conference play. After defeating then-No. 2 Notre Dame 16-14 on Feb. 24, the Orange beat Duke and Virginia Tech by a combined 17-goal margin in their last two conference games.

Last time out versus VT, SU rode a 7-0 opening run and shutout first quarter to a dominant 15-5 win. Olivia Adamson, Emma Ward and Maddy Baxter totaled hat tricks while Natalie Smith and Savannah Sweitzer tallied a pair.

SU now faces No. 9 North Carolina, the team that knocked them out of the conference tournament a season ago. The Tar Heels have started 6-2 in 2024, dropping games to just then-No. 6 James Madison and then-No. 5 Notre Dame by one goal and two.

“This is such a good conference and everybody’s so good,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said after its win over VT. “Every game is challenging.”

Here’s everything you need to know before No. 7 Syracuse (4-3, 3-0 ACC) faces No. 9 North Carolina (6-2, 2-1 ACC):

All-time series

North Carolina leads 12-6.

Last time they played…

In the ACC Tournament semifinals a year ago, the No. 3 seeded Tar Heels came out firing against No. 2 Syracuse. Led by multiple goals from Marissa White, Melissa Sconone and Caroline Godine in the opening 20 minutes, UNC began on an 8-0 scoring run and never looked back, winning 15-9.

The highly-ranked Syracuse offense failed to produce, not scoring until almost 21 minutes into the contest. The nine-goal performance tied SU’s fewest up to that point as its star tandem of Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney combined for just three goals.

The Tar Heels report

UNC enters the contest 6-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Tar Heels began the season ranked No. 3 in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll but have fallen after losing multiple key contributors to injury and dropping their opening game to JMU.

White, UNC’s leading scorer last season, and highly-touted recruit Chloe Humphrey both will miss the entire spring season with injury. But Humphrey’s older sister, Ashley, has been the leading point-getter thus far, totaling 37 after transferring from Stanford. Along with Ashley, Reilly Casey, Caitlyn Wurzburger and Godine have returned as leading scorers.

The Tar Heels attack is toward the top of the ACC in most statistical categories, ranking third in goals per game (15.75), first in assists per game (9.75) and second in points per game (25.50).

As Sconone transferred to Hofstra, Kiley Mottice has seen an increased role in her sophomore season, already topping her goal total from a season ago. Alecia Nicholas returns between the pipes for her junior season and has a 44.1% save percentage.

How SU beats North Carolina

Syracuse staying unbeaten in conference play starts in the draw circle. SU’s primary draw control specialist, Kate Mashewske, has seen ups and downs in her return from injury, leading the Orange to a 53.8% draw control percentage through seven games.

But facing the Tar Heels means facing a top draw control unit in the nation. UNC ranks 10th in the nation with a .633 winning percentage and first in the ACC with 17.38 per game. Led by Emily Nalls and Bailey Horne, the Tar Heels have won the draw battle in all but one game, losing the battle 10-5 versus Notre Dame in a game they lost 7-5.

If SU wants to get its second top-10 win of 2024 and bolster its resume, it will need to follow the formula the Fighting Irish used: start fast by winning the draw control battle, keep the scoring low and pull away late.

Stat to know: 30:04

In its last game versus East Carolina, North Carolina shut out the Pirates for the final 30 minutes and four seconds of play. Following a goal from Carli Johnston with four seconds to go in the second quarter, UNC’s defense allowed just three shots on target and no goals the rest of the way.

The Tar Heels are allowing just 8.63 goals per game through eight matchups. SU’s defense has had similar runs of defensive dominance versus inferior opponents as it shut out Virginia Tech for spans of over 16 minutes and 14 minutes.

Player to watch: Ashley Humphrey, attack, No. 18

Ashley commands the UNC attack unit through her advanced facilitating. The Stanford transfer leads the Tar Heels with 27 assists thus far, 15 more than the next closest.

For the Cardinal in two seasons, Ashley’s passing skills were on full display as in 2022, she set an NCAA record for single-season assists with 88 and led the Pac-12 with 42 in 2023. She hails from powerhouse Darien High School (CT) where she was the No. 4 recruit in the 2020 class.

Published on March 15, 2024 at 3:22 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky