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Syracuse has lost three straight games for the second time this season, and it will now travel to North Carolina. The Orange have a 1-4 record on the road this year. Most recently, they suffered a 14-12 loss at unranked UAlbany and a 16-goal loss at Notre Dame.

North Carolina (7-4, 0-3 Atlantic Coast) is winless in conference play and most recently scored just four goals in its 11-4 loss to No. 6 Virginia.

Here’s everything you need to know about the No. 15 Tar Heels before they play Syracuse on Saturday at 4 p.m.:

All-time series

Syracuse leads the all-time series 18-10.

Last time they played

Syracuse lost 21-9 when it played North Carolina in the Carrier Dome last season. The Orange went down 5-0 in the first seven minutes and the game was over by halftime, when SU trailed 12-4. UNC star attack Chris Gray had two goals and six assists, and Jacob Kelly and Alex Trippi both added two goals and two assists each. SU was led by four goals from Tucker Dordevic and a goal and three assists from Stephen Rehfuss, but it wasn’t enough.

The win marked UNC’s first in the Dome since 1991. SU gave up a season-high 21 goals, at the time, after its already struggling defense was depleted further by injuries before the game.

The Tar Heels report

North Carolina is right outside the edge of the 16-team NCAA tournament field with three games remaining in the season. According to Lacrosse Reference’s bracketology, The Tar Heels rank 24th and have a 24.1% chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. They’re behind Notre Dame (29.5%), Duke (73.1%) and Virginia (98.5%) for the at-large bids.

In the last two contests, both of which were against conference opponents, UNC scored just six and four goals, respectively. They haven’t topped 17 goals in a single game, which came against Denver.

UNC ranks 39th in offensive efficiency (29.9%) and 61st in defensive efficiency (33.7%) out of 73 Division I teams, according to Lacrosse Reference.

How Syracuse beats UNC

To beat the Tar Heels, Syracuse will need to put together a consistent offensive performance, something they’ve struggled with this year. UNC’s defense isn’t very highly touted, and SU’s Brendan Curry and Dordevic, among others, shouldn’t have trouble getting to work against them.

The problem this season has been SU’s road performances. Head coach Gary Gait said nothing about the preparation is different between home and away games, but SU has struggled to produce consistent results and play up to its potential on the road. SU will need to overcome that mental blockade, too.

At the faceoff X, Jakob Phaup struggled against senior Zac Tucci last season, winning just 4-of-11 before he was pulled. Tucci finished 15-of-23. Phaup is having a much more consistent season, though, and both he and Tucci rank in the top 20 nationally in faceoff win-percentage. If Phaup can win that battle, it could help set up the SU offense with plenty of opportunities for success.

Stat to know: 12.9%

Against No. 6 Virginia, the Tar Heels had a 12.9% offensive efficiency rating, according to Lacrosse Reference. More than half of their offensive possessions ended in turnovers (54.8%) and they scored a season-low four goals, and the game featured an almost 20-minute scoreless stretch.

Syracuse has also struggled to take care of the ball as of late, with its turnover rate being 45.0% against Notre Dame and 43.5% against UAlbany. But SU had its best offensive efficiency game against Cornell (outside of Holy Cross). It had a season-best 20.0% turnover rate against the Big Red. And unlike UNC, the Orange have never topped 50% in turnover rate this season either.

Player to watch: Chris Gray, attack, No. 4

Gray leads the Tar Heels in points (65), which is more than double that of any UNC player. The fifth-year attackman is fourth in the nation in points too, averaging almost six per game. Gray has taken almost twice as many shots as fellow attackman Kelly, the second-best attack.

He’ll likely be guarded by Brett Kennedy, Syracuse’s most experienced defender, who has covered Gray in past years. But if the UNC attack can draw slides or force SU’s defense into a switch, he could pose a serious threat.

Published on April 13, 2022 at 10:28 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16