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Syracuse beat No. 15 Princeton on Saturday 16-13 for its fourth win in five games. The Orange got at least three goals from Joey Spallina, Cole Kirst and Finn Thomson, and Will Mark recorded 17 saves as SU shutout the Tigers in the fourth quarter. The win helped Syracuse jump into Inside Lacrosse’s top-20 poll. The Orange are now ranked No. 17 after a six-week absence from the national rankings.

Next up for SU is a trip to Olney, Maryland, where it’ll play No. 11 North Carolina in a rematch of the late-February contest inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse is playing in the neutral site game at a suburban Washington, D.C. high school to reach local recruits and fans in the region. The Tar Heels beat SU 19-13 earlier this season, using a seven-goal second quarter to run away despite 17 saves from Mark.

Here’s everything to know about UNC (7-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) before Saturday afternoon’s matchup:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 18-12.

Last time they played

Owen Hiltz put SU in front just over a minute into the game on Feb. 25, but North Carolina struck back with three straight scores and took a 12-6 lead into halftime. Down 13-6 early in the third quarter, Syracuse notched four unanswered goals, but the Tar Heels scored seven of the game’s final 10 goals.

Logan McGovern registered eight points — on four goals and four assists — and Lance Tillman finished with six points. Spallina, who had three goals and two assists, and Thomson who had one goal and three assists, led Syracuse’s attack.

Mark faced a tough test throughout the game, and the 19 goals allowed are SU’s second-most allowed in a game this season, just behind the 20 Notre Dame poured in on April 1. UNC outshout Syracuse 50-41, in large part because the Orange lost the ground ball (36-22 in North Carolina’s advantage) and face-off (19-16 UNC) battles. And Syracuse’s offense, despite an efficient performance, couldn’t do enough to mitigate those losses.

“I didn’t think we played particularly bad on the offensive end,” Alex Simmons said postgame. “It just came down to possessions. We didn’t have the ball that much.”

The Tar Heels report

North Carolina has gone 4-3 since beating Syracuse, with wins over Brown, Dartmouth, High Point and Providence and losses to Duke, Denver and Virginia. Like Syracuse, UNC scheduled an easier three-game stretch against nonconference foes to gain some momentum heading into its final stretch of the season. The Tar Heels lost 19-12 to the Cavaliers on Saturday, allowing their most goals of the season.

UNC, though, does have one of the best defenses in the country, ranking first in the nation in defensive efficiency, per LacrosseReference. The Tar Heels give up only 9.45 goals per game, sixth fewest in the country. Eight of their 11 opponents have been held to single-digit goals this season, and they cause the ninth-most turnovers per game nationally.

Offensively, North Carolina is led by McGovern, who tops the team in goals (29) and points (51). McGovern’s 49.2% shot percentage is tied for ninth-best nationally. UNC’s team shooting percentage of 35.8% is third-best, per LacrosseReference, though the Tar Heels do average the fewest shots per game in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Tillman and Sean Goldsmith both have chipped in 31 points, too.

How Syracuse beats North Carolina

Winning this game for Syracuse starts with finding ways to consistently beat SU’s defense and find open windows to fire at goalie Collin Krieg, who averages just under 10 saves per game.

North Carolina’s two worst games in terms of defensive efficiency came last week against UVA (39.6%), but also in the first matchup against Syracuse (35.15%). The Orange — who have the fifth-most efficient offense in the country — seem to, unlike most others, have found a recipe for beating UNC’s defense and that will have to continue again on Saturday.

Syracuse recorded seven more faceoff wins and four more ground balls than Princeton on Saturday in its win. It was just the fourth game where SU has registered the same or more faceoff wins than its opponents, and its record in those games is 3-1. When Syracuse has won more ground balls, its record is 4-0. UNC is fourth best in the ACC in ground balls per game, and third best in faceoff percentage. Syracuse is last in both categories, and winning one — or ideally both — would be instrumental in the Orange picking up a critical win on Saturday.

Stat to know: 24.6

North Carolina has the second-fastest offensive pacing in the country at 24.6 seconds, per LacrosseReference. Syracuse, conversely, has a pacing of just over 30 seconds and ranks 29th nationally. The Tar Heels like to work quickly, meaning SU could gain an advantage by forcing UNC possessions deep into the shot clock.

Player to watch: Logan McGovern, attack, No. 1

McGovern will be the focal point of Syracuse’s defensive game plan. The Bryant transfer has made an instant impact in Chapel Hill, averaging three goals and nearly five points per contest. In the first matchup this season, the Orange slid to McGovern early in the game, but he racked up assists. And when SU stopped sliding in the second quarter, McGovern responded with goals. “We just didn’t match up well with him,” Gait said in the teams’ last outing.

Published on April 13, 2023 at 12:18 am

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_