CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Even with the missing piece to its offense back in place, Syracuse looked disconnected in some of the game’s most crucial moments.

Attack Randy Staats returned to the field for the first time since March 14, but by the time the Orange offense could get anything going against North Carolina, it was already looking at a 5-0 deficit.

“I thought at times we played really hard, and you have to get going against a team as loaded as they are,” North Carolina head coach Joe Breschi said. “If you’re scoring goals, it puts more pressure on them to respond.”

The response from Syracuse, a six-goal fourth quarter, came too late. It was a lightning-quick start for UNC’s attack coupled with a sluggish start by the No. 2 Orange (8-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) to spell defeat against the No. 4 Tar Heels (12-1, 3-0) in a 17-15 loss at Fetzer Field on Saturday afternoon.

It wasn’t for lack of opportunities early on for SU, though. The reunited attack trio of Staats, Kevin Rice and Dylan Donahue peppered North Carolina’s crease with shots, but the sound of the ball clanking off the pipes in the first half became common.

“We said to ourselves, ‘Keep shooting, keep shooting’ and they’re gonna drop,” Staats said.

The Orange’s shooting inconsistencies became paramount in its last-ditch effort to pull of its biggest comeback win of the season. Down by two goals with 1:20 left on the clock, SU head coach John Desko called a timeout.

Playing man-up for another 30 seconds, the head coach told his team to carry and distribute the ball around the crease and eventually get it to the man positioned behind the goal behind the X.

The ball got to Donahue, who then peeled away to get the ball to Rice at the X. Rice charged behind the right side of the crease and had the ball swatted out of his stick before he could get a shot off.

With 29 seconds remaining, the turnover effectively ended the game as the North Carolina crowd roared and stood in unison.

“We didn’t shoot as well as I thought we would,” Desko said. “… And (North Carolina) did, they shot very well.”

Even when Syracuse has experienced shooting problems this season, continuous offensive possessions from winning faceoffs compensated for the inconsistency.

Faceoff specialist Ben Williams’ success has been vital for SU to maintain a rhythm throughout the season and allowed the Orange to stage comebacks like the six-goal one SU set against Notre Dame on March 28.

Syracuse looked to be on the cusp of eclipsing that mark as it crept closer and closer to erasing a seven-goal deficit. But Williams was unable to keep up a 14-for-18 first-half performance at the faceoff X.

He won four faceoffs in the third quarter, and only three in the fourth quarter. An extra effort by the Tar Heels kept Syracuse’s offense at bay by not allowing it to get the ball as much as they have all season.

“Ben gets (the faceoffs) early,” Desko said. “There’s such an effort on the opposing team’s faceoff guy and their units that they kind of go all out and it’s all or nothing.”

That’s exactly the game it was for Syracuse. Converting on almost no chances in the first quarter to coming within a few plays of tying the game in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

Sandwiched between there was a flurry of misplays on both sides of the ball for the Orange, and it wasn’t able to recover from an ominous start against a revved-up Tar Heels group celebrating its seniors’ final home game.

“We’re on to the next one,” SU midfielder Nicky Galasso said. “This is just a little bump in the road and I think we’re going to see them again.”

Published on April 11, 2015 at 6:35 pm

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