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No. 2 Syracuse has trailed No. 1 UNC in the rankings all season. This Saturday, the Orange travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face the Tar Heels in the most anticipated matchup of the regular season. The Tar Heels have won 10 straight games, including four dominant conference wins. Most recently, North Carolina (10-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast) defeated Mercer, 18-3, this past weekend as the Orange squeezed by ACC foe Virginia Tech 17-10.

The Orange (6-0, 4-0) are also undefeated through six games, including two wins against No. 4 Notre Dame.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Tar Heels before Saturday’s game:

All-time series

North Carolina leads 8-6

Last time they played

Emily Hawryschuk scored three goals in Syracuse’s 11-5 loss to North Carolina on April 13, 2019. UNC snapped Syracuse’s seven-game win streak, as foul trouble plagued the Orange and two first-half yellow cards led to three unanswered UNC goals. The Orange responded with three consecutive goals — two from Hawryschuk and one from Morgan Alexander, but the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half and finished the game on a 6-2 run. 

Hawryschuk led the team with three goals in 60 minutes and added to her 75-goal 2019 season. During the game, Hawryschuk surpassed 140 career goals, cementing herself in ninth place on Syracuse’s all-time leader list.

The Tar Heel report

North Carolina has scored at least 11 goals in each of its games so far. The Tar Heels are efficient, ranking second in offensive efficiency at 41.5% and first in defensive efficiency at 16.4%. Syracuse has struggled to score on the nation’s top defenses, such as Notre Dame’s and Virginia Tech’s, and may struggle against the Tar Heels. 

UNC ranks fourth among NCAA teams in scoring offense with 16.9 goals per game — Syracuse ranks seventh with a 16.5 average. The Tar Heels and the Orange are near tied for overall shots per game at 33.7 (Syracuse) and 33.4 (North Carolina).

Jamie Ortega, the Tar Heels’ leading goal scorer for the past three seasons, leads the team again with 43 goals — third in the NCAA — and 14 assists in ten games. Ortega ranks second in the NCAA for points with 57 and is UNC’s all-time scoring leader.

How Syracuse defeats the Tar Heels

Without Hawryschuk, the Orange need to create offensive opportunities through other outlets like Megan Carney, Emma Ward and Meaghan Tyrrell. Against Virginia Tech, Syracuse was slow to score and went into halftime tied with the Hokies. The Orange are comfortable being down at half, they were down against Notre Dame and made a strong second-half comeback.

But against UNC’s No. 1-ranked defense, the Orange want to avoid having to come back late in the game. The Tar Heels have yet to give up more than nine goals in a game, so the Orange will have to find a hole in their defense to score against goalie Taylor Moreno, who leads the NCAA in save percentage at .615.

Player to watch: Ally Mastroianni, No. 12, midfielder

Mastroianni handles the most percentage of plays, 10.2 % among the Tar Heels. While the senior midfielder doesn’t lead the team in goals or assists, she has scored at least once in every game this season. In 10 games played, Mastroianni has totaled 17 goals, two assists and six ground balls.  If Syracuse wants to top Mastroianni, the defense needs to stop her from getting the ball and eliminating shots on goal. 

Stat to know: 21.8 %

North Carolina ranks 16th in the NCAA in turnover rate, forcing turnovers on 21.8 % of its possessions. Syracuse has the No.1 spot at 16.4%. Sarah Cooper leads Syracuse with 13 caused turnovers followed by Ella Simkins with nine. This will be a game of few turnovers, and Syracuse has some chances to take the ball away from the nation’s top team.

Published on March 31, 2021 at 10:40 pm

Contact Skyler: skrivera@syr.edu | @skylerriveraa