CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Nicole Levy was in front of the net when she gained possession. Looking toward the goal, she wrapped the stick behind her back and twisted it to send the ball flying toward the cage.

But the ball never reached the blue netting — it hit the pocket of North Carolina goalie Taylor Moreno’s stick instead. On Saturday, Syracuse’s shot landed in Moreno’s stick more than it hit blue.

The last time No. 3 Syracuse (13-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) faced No. 5 North Carolina (11-3, 4-2), the Tar Heels knocked SU out of the ACC tournament in a 21-12 annihilation — the second time that UNC beat the Orange by nine points last year. When the two teams faced each other again on Saturday in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels still managed to come out on top, 11-5, despite Syracuse’s higher rank. SU was plagued with shooting struggles and an inability to get around Moreno, holding the offense to just five scores. It was the first time this season Syracuse lost to a team ranked lower than it.

“Their goalie really had an outstanding day and shut us down,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “We lost some confidence on our finishing.”

The five goals on SU’s 25 attempted shots was “unheard of” for Gait, he said. While the Orange shot on goal 75% of the time, Moreno, who averages 8.79 saves a game, saved 12 of SU’s shots. Syracuse’s shooters tried to pick the corners but aimed too tight and worried the ball was going to miss, Gait said.

UNC was the fourth team Syracuse faced this season ranked in the top-five with each of them coming down to the wire. No. 1 Boston College came from behind to over take the Orange. SU’s matchups against then-No. 2 Maryland and then-No. 4 Northwestern went into overtime. On Saturday, North Carolina was a different experience. There was no sizable lead to start the game from Syracuse. There was no trading goals, just North Carolina’s early dominance. 

Andrew Graham | Senior Staff Writer

The first 10 minutes of Syracuse’s games this season have been defined typically through high scoring on SU’s side and low scoring by the opponents. Even in SU’s largest loss of the season — 14-12 to No. 1 Boston College — the Orange held a four-goal lead in the first 10 minutes. Prior to Saturday, the Orange averaged 9.3 goals in the first half. Against UNC, it was a different story.

In Syracuse’s second possession of the game, Levy shot wide but SU kept the ball. Then, Natalie Wallon ran toward the net but was surrounded by UNC players. Wallon fell as she was shooting and the ball flew high over the net but SU still held onto possession. The ball ended up in SU’s leading scorer’s stick net. Emily Hawryschuk ran past the goal and tried a side-armed shot but the ball couldn’t find nylon and the Tar Heels took over. When the first-half whistle blew, the Orange had just three goals.

“We were getting the opportunities,” Levy said. “Their goalie was making saves, standing on our heads. She played phenomenal.”

Where Syracuse struggled, UNC thrived. Both teams had 25 or more shots and Syracuse had more shots on goal than the Tar Heels, but North Carolina’s shots resulted in cheers more frequently than Syracuse.

Near the start of the second half, and UNC up by two, Tayler Warehime received a pass from Katie Hoeg. Warehime caught the ball and bounced it in, past goalkeeper Asa Goldstock to push UNC’s lead to three. Less than a minute later, Warehime was in the same spot. Jamie Ortega passed it to her this time and Warehime scored. The next possession, Warehime netted a hat trick.

Hawryschuk was one of the few players in dark blue capable of making her shots. She put Syracuse on the board to start, then put the Orange within one at the start of the game when Megan Carney passed the ball from behind the net to the junior. Hawryschuk caught, turned to shoot off a rebound and made it into the net.

Hawryschuk’s success while her team struggled was “just taking the extra second to look and finish the shot.” Morgan Alexander was the only other player to score for SU, both scored off passes from SU players taking free position shots.

As the game came to a close, Syracuse would have suffered its lowest point total since 2006. To remedy the low scoring, Sam Swart lined up for a free position attempt and passed to Alexander who scored her second of the game. But, with only a minute left and five more goals separating the two teams, the loss was inevitable. When the whistle blew, Syracuse walked off with its worst offensive performance of the season.

“Sometimes you have an off day, sometimes you have a great day,” Levy said. “I think today our offense had an off day, I know I did, and I think (Moreno) was on today.”

Published on April 13, 2019 at 2:48 pm

Contact Kaci: klwasile@syr.edu