What you need to know about Syracuse’s potential ACC Tournament run
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No. 2 seed Syracuse is set to face No. 7 seed Virginia Tech on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Syracuse’s 14-13 loss to Boston College on Thursday pushed it into third place in the standings, behind the Eagles. But a commanding 16-7 win in the second game of the weekend doubleheader tied the two teams for second. Syracuse won the tiebreaker — scoring more goals than Boston College in the two games — giving it the No. 2 seed for the tournament, behind North Carolina.
Syracuse heads into the ACC Tournament with an injury-ridden attack, losing Emily Hawryschuk to a torn ACL after the first game of the season and Megan Carney to the same injury in SU’s Thursday game against the Eagles.
If SU wins its opening quarterfinals matchup against the Hokies, it would face the winner of No. 3 seed Boston College and No. 6 seed Virginia’s quarterfinal matchup. A win in the semifinals would secure the Orange a spot in the conference championship game, where they would likely rematch the No. 1 seed Tar Heels.
Here’s what you need to know about Syracuse before the ACC Tournament:
Quarterfinals — No. 7 Virginia Tech
The Orange will open the tournament against Virginia Tech, a team they beat 17-10 on March 27. The game was tied at seven at halftime, but Carney’s six goals and Meaghan Tyrrell’s four propelled Syracuse past the Hokies.
The defensive unit allowed too many shooting opportunities in the first half, head coach Gary Gait said. Syracuse played “kind of sluggish” and allowed VT to get a number of chances from near the 8-meter arc, Gait said.
“We knew that first half wasn’t Syracuse lacrosse, it’s not what we’re about,” Meaghan Tyrrell said postgame. “We took that energy and pushed each other in the second half.”
The Orange’s defense held the Hokies to just three goals in the second half by double-teaming VT’s attacks in the middle of the 8-meter. Asa Goldstock also made eight saves, a majority of which came from shots at the crease.
To defeat Virginia Tech again, Syracuse has to repeat its second-half defensive play throughout the game. Syracuse needs to focus on aggressive defense, as the Orange have been able to find answers offensively in almost every game.
Semifinals — Most likely No. 3 Boston College
The Orange finished the regular season with a weekend doubleheader against the Eagles in the Carrier Dome.
Boston College won the first outing, 14-13, after starting the game with a 4-0 run. The Eagles dominated the draw control battle, 18-10, limiting SU’s possessions, Gait said. Charlotte North, the seventh-best goal scorer in the nation (4.43 goals per game), led BC to victory with eight draw controls and five goals against the Orange.
In the second game, Syracuse flipped the script and won, 16-7. Following a Boston College goal in the first minute of play, the Orange went on an 8-0 run. Emma Tyrrell took over in Carney’s position and had a career day, scoring six goals and notching one assist.
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Defensively, Syracuse held Boston College to seven goals, nearly 10 less than its average per game this season. The Orange held North to just one shot and no points in the first half.
“We changed into man-to-man from zone and just tried to really confuse them come the end of the shot clock,” Gait said postgame. “They had to make adjustments and change what they were doing to have success, and it worked pretty well.”
To beat the Eagles, the Orange need to mimic their performance in the last game of the regular season. Syracuse needs to utilize the man-to-man zone to stop North again, and it should find more options like Emma Tyrrell on offense.
Finals — Most likely No. 1 North Carolina
Syracuse’s largest blemish of the 2021 season was its 17-6 loss to No. 1 North Carolina on April 3. Against the Tar Heels, the Orange had their worst efficiency rating of the entire season (14.3%), according to Lacrosse Reference.
The Tar Heels have the best scoring defense and the 10th-best scoring attack in the nation. Katie Hoeg, UNC’s all-time leader in points and assists, is the catalyst of the Tar Heels’ attack. The redshirt senior has 76 points in 15 games this season, averaging 3.1 assists per game.
To defeat the Tar Heels, Syracuse has to play all 60 minutes, something Gait said the team hasn’t done once in the regular season. Most importantly, the Orange need to focus on defensive issues that flared against UNC earlier this season.
The Tar Heels exposed the center of the Orange’s defensive zone. North Carolina’s attack positioned behind the net and waited until an open cutter was in the middle of the 8-meter. Goldstock couldn’t turn her head to see cutters because UNC diverted her focus to the back of the net.
“When you play a zone defense, you always have people open in the middle, but you hope you get enough pressure that they can’t find those players who are open,” Gait said. “They found those openings.”
Gait said the Orange defense was trying to “keep their head above water” for the entire game. But Syracuse struggled even more offensively. UNC caused nine turnovers, and its defenders constantly stepped in front of Syracuse shots before they reached goalie Taylor Moreno, Gait said. Syracuse scored a season-low six goals.
The head coach said that the loss to UNC was the first time this season that the team legitimately felt the absence of Hawryschuk. But with Carney also out now, Syracuse has to find other strong offensive options. If not, the Orange won’t have the firepower to keep up with the Tar Heels.