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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Eleven days. That’s how long Syracuse was forced to dwell on its disastrous 18-17 double-overtime loss to then-No. 13 Cornell before it took the field against North Carolina.

Not only did the Orange score the first seven goals versus the Big Red, they also led 16-10 with 6:58 left in the third quarter. But without offensive coordinator Pat March — who was ejected in the first quarter for arguing a potential offsides call — SU turned the ball over eight times in the fourth quarter and overtime. Cornell took advantage, scoring seven straight before CJ Kirst scored the game-winner.

The loss left a “bad taste” in Syracuse’s mouth, according to head coach Gary Gait. It also didn’t help that SU had its largest break in between games all season.

With a chance to seal a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and clinch a possible NCAA Tournament berth, Syracuse had a chance to put its horrors from Ithaca, New York, behind itself.

“We’re treating it like a playoff game and we’re going to go down there and play our best lacrosse,” Gait said on April 11.

No. 7 Syracuse (10-4, 2-1 ACC) nearly repeated its disastrous second-half performance against North Carolina (6-6, 0-2 ACC). Syracuse led by six in the third quarter but went scoreless in the final 24 minutes. Five straight goals from the Tar Heels cut SU’s lead to one, though late saves from Will Mark helped the Orange hold on to win 10-9. Mark’s 13 saves (59%) and Joey Spallina’s six points (one goal, five assists) were enough to prevent Syracuse from another monumental disaster.

The message was simple throughout the week for Syracuse: “Calm is contagious.” The Orange have utilized the saying throughout the season. Mark talked about it after a 10-4 win over Duke and the message continued to spread throughout the team after its collapse against Cornell. That was the emphasis. Keeping composure in moments where it was needed.

But the way Syracuse finished was anything but calm. Gait lambasted his team postgame for sloppiness on clears — where SU was just 15-of-19 on the day — ill-advised shots and executing simple plays that “shouldn’t have been an issue.”

“Certainly we didn’t do that but I thought we did a good enough job to win. And we’re gonna continue working on it,” Gait said postgame about his team’s composure in the fourth quarter.

All of Syracuse’s mistakes culminated in North Carolina’s furiously storming back from a 10-4 deficit.

While the nearly-blown lead drew comparisons to last Tuesday’s collapse, the first quarter didn’t. Unlike against Cornell, Syracuse fell behind early.

Freshman Owen Duffy converted after curling around from X to open the scoring four minutes in. Ryan Levy scored on a man-up chance before Dominic Pietramala ripped one from distance to put the Tar Heels up 3-0 with 6:44 remaining in the first.

Then, Syracuse started to settle in. A defensive stop spurred the Orange in transition. Billy Dwan dished to Spallina on the wing, but Dwan continued his run. A behind-the-back feed from Spallina hit Dwan perfectly for his sixth goal of the season.

Dwan’s goal sparked four straight scores for SU. Owen Hiltz rifled one into the top corner before John Mullen scored after a caused turnover. Spallina then fed Christian Mulé inside to make it four goals in just over three minutes for the Orange. Spallina’s assist moved him into the top 10 for a single season in program history.

With the offense firing, Mark continuously thwarted UNC as the Tar Heels went over 20 minutes without a goal. Spallina took advantage, first dishing to Jake Stevens and then scoring to make it 7-3 with 3:16 left in the first half.

“We just got to stick to our game plan,” Spallina said. “I think you saw that first, probably three quarters…when we play the way that we’re supposed to we score pretty easy goals.”

Two more Spallina assists and back-to-back goals from Finn Thomson made it 10-4 with 9:34 remaining in the third. Everything seemed to be going to plan. The offense found its rhythm, despite March’s absence on the sidelines.

The long layoff afforded the Orange time to gameplan. Nothing schematically changed, according to Spallina and Gait. It just came down to execution and “getting back to what we do best,” Spallina said.

Duffy scored two straight unassisted goals heading into the fourth quarter which begged the question. Would it happen again?

Syracuse’s offense grew quiet and UNC started to find holes in SU’s defense. The Orange had just two shots on goal in the fourth quarter from Luke Rhoa and Jackson Birtwistle, both of which were denied by Collin Krieg in net, who finished with a season-high 17 saves.

Trevor Deubner scored his second of the game before Duffy set up Logan McGovern to make it a one-goal game with less than two minutes remaining.

Despite SU’s faceoff unit going 12-for-23 against one of the best units in the country, Mullen was called for a violation at the most crucial point. Coming out of a UNC timeout, Deubner worked from the wing against short-stick midfielder Wyatt Hottle.

Deubner was pushed upfield, but saw an opening, ripping one to the far post, but Mark denied him — his fifth and final save of the fourth — to seemingly clinch a Syracuse win.

A successful clear furthered that sentiment as Stevens controlled the ball on the near sideline. But the midfielder ran into trouble and tossed a low pass which Sam English couldn’t handle with 30 seconds left.

A mad scramble ensued with Spallina scooping up the ball along the sideline, but with no space, all he could do was chuck the ball away. Krieg received the errant pass, firing to Duffy past midfield. But Saam Olexo came out of the substitution box to check Duffy from behind causing another ground ball which was corralled by Riley Figueiras. Olexo later fired the ball away to ensure North Carolina wouldn’t get a shot off.

Syracuse’s performance was the ultimate mixed bag. The Orange seemed to put the demons from its Cornell collapse in the past, but quickly let them back in. Mark joked that “nobody is prepared for crazy games more than we are.” But for much of those games, the Orange were on the losing end.

This time, Syracuse wasn’t.

“We made some mistakes. But we survived,” Gait said.

Published on April 13, 2024 at 3:43 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22