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Syracuse started its 2025 campaign near perfect. It sported an unblemished 3-0 record. A comfortable top-10 win over then-No. 7 Maryland. But the Orange still didn’t feel they’d reached their potential.

“I don’t think we’ve even grazed what we’re capable of, but we’ve got to keep getting better so we’re ready for ACCs and a National Championship run in April and May,” junior attack Gracie Britton said after beating Cornell Tuesday.

SU got a chance to swing bigger versus No. 2 North Carolina on Saturday. A win would prove it was still a national championship contender. A loss would just raise more questions.

It proved to be the latter. No. 4 Syracuse (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) was lambasted by UNC (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) 16-8 Saturday. SU was without star attack Olivia Adamson, and it couldn’t recover, only producing 27 shots to UNC’s 51. The Orange entered halftime down 12-5 and continued to flounder down the stretch, marking their first loss of the season.

With Adamson, SU’s leading goal scorer (10) through three contests, missing her first-career game, the Orange’s offense was lifeless. On Tuesday against Cornell, Syracuse had 10 different scorers. But North Carolina’s Brooklyn Walker-Welch tightly guarded points leader Emma Ward, holding her to two goals on seven shots — one of only five Orange players to score.

This led to Syracuse’s worst start of the season, trailing 8-2 after one quarter. It only produced 14 first-half shots due to starting 7-of-18 on the draw — an area where it’s consistently struggled this season after Kate Mashewske’s graduation.

While the Orange looked frazzled, UNC wasn’t fazed. It entered with two ranked wins under its belt over then-No. 18 James Madison and then-No. 5 Florida, winning by a combined score of 28-11. Playing the highest-ranked opponent they’ve played thus far, the Tar Heels dominated.

“We’re getting to play all the best teams in the country, so (our athleticism) will be matched by a lot of teams we’re playing,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said on Feb. 11.

Just 40 seconds in, Chloe Humphrey — the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class who missed last season with an injury — planted a shot past Daniella Guyette to make it 1-0. Humphrey has starred with her sister Ashley on attack this year, as both entered with 15 points apiece. The duo propelled North Carolina Saturday, combining for eight points.

Though Britton and Molly Guzik scored to briefly keep the game close, UNC goalie Betty Nelson kept SU off the board for nearly 17 minutes after the goals. The sophomore entered the contest with a .593 save percentage, ranking third in NCAA, and finished Saturday at a .529 clip. Consequently, the Orange’s revamped defense, which allowed just 9.33 goals through SU’s first three games, couldn’t stop UNC, which embarked on a 7-0 run.

Olivia Vergano started with back-to-back goals to push North Carolina ahead 3-1. The Tar Heels continued to impeccably move the ball around and find wide-open looks in front of Guyette, who registered a lowly .368 save percentage in the first half. Chloe got involved again, finding Kiley Mottice for an easy finish, part of a 3-0 burst that made it 6-2 12 minutes in.

The Orange only had one offensive possession on the run as Meghan Rode lost three straight draws. And even when SU had the ball, it couldn’t do anything. A shot clock violation by Guzik led to its 8-2 first-quarter deficit.

In the second, not much changed. Rode’s struggles on the draw persisted, and she was later replaced by Guzik. SU’s seven first-half draw wins allowed UNC to make it 10-2 with two goals in 25 seconds. Syracuse finally got going toward the end of the half, as Ward ended its scoring drought with 7:11 left in the second, entering halftime down 12-5.

But the burst was short-lived. Both teams were quiet in the third, as Syracuse didn’t score until the 1:17 mark of the frame. It was instead forced to defend its own territory. As a result, UNC was handed two straight free position shots five minutes in. Freshmen Kate Levy and Eliza Osburn — who exploded for three goals and five draw wins — converted both attempts to make it 14-5.

After North Carolina’s two scores, SU finally spent some time in UNC’s defensive zone but had mixed success. Alexa Vogelman was awarded a free position, but Nelson stood strong again, producing her eighth of nine saves on the day. The Orange’s sophomore finally netted their first goal of the quarter to enter the fourth down 14-6.

The final quarter was a moot point. Ward weaved through the Tar Heels’ defense for just her second goal of the game, then found Emma Muchnick for another. Yet it was nothing but a consolation.

Syracuse held North Carolina to just four second-half goals, but UNC’s first-half onslaught had already put the game away. Despite feeling it was ready for the challenge, SU showed it still has work to do as it enters a gauntlet of a schedule in its next four games.

Published on February 22, 2025 at 1:23 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99