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On Nov. 22, 2015, second-half goals from Zoe Wilson and Emma Lamison propelled the Orange to a 4-2 victory over North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament championship game. But since then, SU had been unable to defeat the Tar Heels, losing seven-straight contests against UNC over the last four seasons.

Three of these losses, all of which were decided by one-goal margins, came last year. Two of them resulted in the same scoreline — 4-3 after overtime, and both in the favor of North Carolina. One came in SU’s final game of the season last year, when the Orange erased UNC’s initial 2-0 lead but ultimately fell in overtime with a red card issued to the Syracuse sideline. North Carolina went on to win its third-straight national championship in the spring. 

But when Pleun Lammers dove with an outstretched stick, lofted a shot high over UNC goalkeeper Abigail Taylor and watched the ball deflect off the right goal post and bounce into the net to open the scoring, the narrative changed. 

With both teams coming into the matchup with four game winning streaks, the Orange flipped the script on the Tar Heels. No. 11 Syracuse (7-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) beat the second-highest scoring team (4.56 goals per game) in the country, No. 5 North Carolina (6-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) 5-0. The victory marks SU’s fifth-straight win and third-straight shutout, during the Orange’s first game back at J.S. Coyne Stadium since a 2-1 overtime loss to Kent State on Sept. 4. 

“I’m just so happy for them,” head coach Ange Bradley said. “I know how much it meant to them to be able to compete and finally get that breakthrough win.”

Friday was the first time North Carolina was shutout since losing to Duke 3-0 in 2016 and the Tar Heels’ worst loss since 2008, when they lost 7-0 to Maryland.

In the second quarter, the Tar Heels earned four consecutive penalty corners in the final two minutes before halftime. But Syracuse’s defensive penalty corner unit didn’t falter. As the halftime buzzer sounded, North Carolina (eight shots, six corners) doubled Syracuse (four shots, three corners) in both shots and penalty corners but were at a 3-0 deficit. 

“I honestly wasn’t too worried because we have an amazing DPC so there wasn’t really any concern,” forward Carolin Hoffmann said. 

The Orange’s defense framework remained intact, as North Carolina registered just three shots throughout the second half. SU specifically shut down reigning national and Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week Erin Matson, who has already tallied 13 goals and eight assists this season. Before Friday, Matson averaged 3.78 points per game — the second-highest in the country and highest in the ACC.

Syracuse initially found the back of the net less than three minutes into the game through Quirine Comans, but her goal was ultimately disallowed after review, keeping the score at 0-0. Comans, though, went on to assist SU’s first three goals, serving as the Orange’s catalyst to break down the fifth-ranked team in the country. 

Lammers officially opened the scoring for Syracuse later in the first quarter, connecting on a cross from Comans and diving to loft the ball over the UNC goalkeeper. The Orange doubled their lead less than three minutes later when Hailey Bitters knocked in a pass from Comans.

Hoffmann scored from a penalty corner shot in the second quarter to extend SU’s lead. Lammers inserted before Comans set up the opportunity for Hoffmann, who dragged a shot on goal that rattled off the right goal post before going in. 

“She’s been out here working on her drag flick by herself when nobody’s here watching,” Bradley said of Hoffmann. “She’s been given another opportunity at a fifth year and she’s been tremendous this year.”

Five SU players ended up on the scoresheet, as Claire Cooke and Charlotte de Vries added to Syracuse’s lead in the second half. Cooke tipped in a shot by Laura Graziosi from outside the shooting circle before de Vries sped past two defenders and scored with a reverse chip shot. At that point, the Orange led 5-0 with eight minutes left in regulation, securing a win six years in the making. 

“(This win) really shows that the hard work over the last couple of years really paid off,” Hoffmann said. “But in the end, it doesn’t really matter if you do it once, you (have to) do it again when we have the ACC tournament.”

Published on October 1, 2021 at 9:47 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu