For the second time this season, No. 11 Syracuse took on the No. 1 team in the nation.

The Orange went toe-to-toe with then-No. 1 Connecticut back on Sep. 9, but on Saturday, No. 1 North Carolina (10-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast) throttled SU from the opening hit. UNC defeated Syracuse (6-4, 0-3), 5-1, after outshooting the Orange 21-2.

Syracuse didn’t register its first shot attempt until there were 17 minutes left in the game, a consolation goal for freshman Tess Queen, the first of her career. By that point, the Tar Heels had beaten goalie Borg van der Velde four times on 19 shots.

UNC grabbed the lead 16 minutes into the game when Erin Matson deflected Eva van’t Hoog’s shot into the bottom corner. The Tar Heels scored on the counter after SU’s corner routine fizzled out. After the goal, UNC continued its repeated attacks, eventually producing a penalty shot after a foul a few feet from the SU goal.

Ashley Hoffman stood seven yards from van der Velde. She elevated her attempt, and despite van der Velde getting a piece of the shot as she stepped to her right, she was unable to keep it out. UNC doubled its lead headed into the break.

Coming out of the half, UNC drew a penalty corner. The first shot attempt was saved, but SU was unable to clear. Matson pounced on the rebound, tapping the ball in for her second goal, and UNC’s third.

Nine minutes later, van’t Hoog stood in the way of an attempt from outside the circle. She stopped the ball dead in its tracks on her stick, then rotated her body to shoot with her forehand, scoring UNC’s fourth goal.

van der Velde tied her career high in saves with 11, a record she set on Sep. 14 vs. Duke. On that day, Syracuse lost 1-0 without registering a shot. The Orange finally produced a clear chance when Sarah Luby crossed the ball into Queen, who scored across the face of goal.

Immediately after Syracuse scored, the Tar Heels went back on the attack. Bryn Boylan raced into the open field, glided past two SU defenders, then took a few steps to her right and scored.

The Orange have now played four teams ranked higher than them in the standings. In those four games, Syracuse is 0-4, and has been outscored 11-2.

Syracuse returns home next weekend to J.S. Coyne Stadium to host Boston College on Friday.

Published on September 29, 2018 at 3:29 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo