CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Even with a North Carolina player sitting on the ground with the ball, the Syracuse defense couldn’t force a turnover.

In a game that was already out of hand late in the second half, UNC attack Sydney Holman slipped next to SU’s net with the ball in her stick. From her seat on the ground, she flipped the ball up in the air to an open Lindsay Scott, who promptly fired a shot past Orange goalie Kelsey Richardson.

The goal put the Tar Heels up 15-8 with just over two minutes to play, and it was the final straw for an Orange defense that gradually wore down.

“They obviously executed, and I think we knew what was coming,” Syracuse defender Mallory Vehar said.

UNC was consistent in peppering SU’s defense with scoring opportunities, collecting 16 shots in each half. In a 15-8 loss for No. 6 Syracuse (9-6, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) against No. 2 North Carolina (12-2, 5-1), it was the inconsistent effort for the Orange defense that led to its most lopsided loss in two seasons.

And even when things seemed to go the way of the Syracuse defense, it couldn’t capitalize on opportunities to move the ball the other way.

Tar Heels midfielder Marie McCool took a free-position shot five minutes into the second half, and the ball skipped into the webbing of Richardson’s stick and then back in front of the crease.

McCool picked the ball up again and fired another shot, this one deflecting off Richardson’s stick and back toward the swarm of the North Carolina attack. On a third chance for McCool, she slung a shot at Richardson’s shins that she couldn’t corral.

The seemingly never-ending chances for the Tar Heels wore down Richardson in the cage despite her head coach being impressed with her second wind.

“I thought Kelsey had a good second half,” SU head coach Gary Gait said somberly after the loss. “Just, uh, tough first half.”

As the game began to slip away from Syracuse at the start of the second half, the Orange tried to compensate with a little extra physicality in its play. Vehar was flagged for a cross check from behind as a Tar Heels player was flung to the ground after the collision.

An exasperated Gait folded his hands behind his head as he looked onto the field, his defense now forced to play a man down for the next two minutes.

North Carolina didn’t wait around to convert on the opportunity as attack Sammy Jo Tracy scored one of her three goals on the depleted Orange defense. The problems with the Syracuse defense were just further accentuated with one less body on the field.

“Just overall, lack of communication, lots of things,” Gait said. “… A lot of things didn’t go our way today.”

The frustration continued to mount for Syracuse, and the ultimate result was a yellow card being issued to the SU bench.

The Tar Heels attack was continuously conquering the Orange’s defensive zone through quick plays in transition as well as longer plays holding the ball on the outside of SU’s perimeter.

The entire 60-minute affair was a test for Syracuse, with more failing attempts than passing ones.

Said Vehar: “We got a couple stops, but they went on a couple runs and things didn’t go in our favor.”

Published on April 11, 2015 at 4:04 pm

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