Syracuse Remains Undefeated, Wins at Defending National Champion North Carolina
The Syracuse Orange marched into the fortress of Durham, ready to lay siege to the defending national champion Tar Heels in a top-five matchup that was one of the most anticipated of the year.
And boy did this game deliver.
In an impressive performance on all sides of the ball from both ACC powerhouses, the Orange punched just above the Tar Heels to secure a 14-12 victory. This game snapped a 41-game home win streak for North Carolina, with their last home loss coming to the Boston College Eagles in 2019.
This game was destined to be tight for the entire hour and potentially more, and it did not disappoint. The largest lead of the day was four goals in favor of Syracuse, which they did achieve multiple times in the second quarter, but the dynamic and quick offense from North Carolina was quick to stop the lead from getting out of hand. After a five-goal first period for Syracuse, the Tar Heels closed the gap to make it 8-6 at the half, a tight game between the two championship contenders.
The second half was a blow-for-blow trade between the brightest stars on the offenses: Meaghan and Emma Tyrell for the ‘Cuse and Reilly Casey and Alyssa Long for the Heels. After UNC tied the game in the third, Syracuse’s Olivia Adamson and Natalie Smith scored two goals in the last 90 seconds, putting the Orange up 11-9 with the final 15 minutes to play.
Those final 15 minutes were full of athletic and acrobatic plays, with both offenses pulling out all the stops to score against the potent defenses on either side. In the end, it was Megan Carney and Emma Tyrell that scored the two goals in the final four minutes to put the Orange on top, sealing the victory and keeping perfection alive.
Not only was this a significant win for the Orange, as they now have defeated every top five team in their schedule with only Boston College to go, but graduate student Meaghan Tyrell reached a major milestone. The attacker scored six points in the contest, putting her at a career total of 394. This is enough for her to jump ahead of her head coach Kayla Treanor in the all-time career points list in Syracuse women’s lacrosse history, with only Katie Rowan ahead of her with 396. It is only a matter of in-game minutes before Tyrell surpasses her and stands alone at the top.
On the other end of the field, Delaney Sweitzer had probably her best game in net since the season opener against #2 Northwestern, where she tied her career high in saves with 15. She was everywhere, snagging saves from both in-play and free position shots as well as grabbing passes out of the air from behind the net. This was her magnum opus, and she performed against an elite opponent when the team needed her the most.
Emma Tyrell led all scorers with four goals, including the score to ice the game with only a minute and change left, with Natalie Smith joining her in the hat trick club. Meaghan Tyrell provided four assists and Emma Ward had three of her own, maintaining that Syracuse unselfish offense against the Tar Heels. Nicole Humphrey scored three of her own along with Casey and Long backing her up in the scoring chart, sharing the offensive attack just as much as the ‘Cuse.
The Orange improve to 15-0, continuing their longest win streak in program history. They will travel back to SU Soccer Stadium for their final home contest against #7 Boston College. UNC falls to 11-3 on Senior Day and will travel a few minutes northeast to Koskinen Stadium to face the Duke Blue Devils in their final matchup before ACC tournament play.
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