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Syracuse has fired on all cylinders to begin 2025 en route to a dominant 3-0 start.

After defeating UAlbany and then-No. 7 Maryland to open their season, the Orange handily beat Cornell 18-10 Tuesday. Despite trailing 2-1 seven minutes in, SU embarked on an 11-2 run to go into halftime up 12-5. From there, it easily closed out the victory.

In the contest, Syracuse got offense from all over the board. Ten players scored goals, while Olivia Adamson and freshman Molly Guzik led the team with five points each. Despite the success, the Orange were inconsistent on the draw control — leading 13-6 at half, but finishing the game tied 16-16.

SU must fix its draw issues when it faces No. 2 North Carolina Saturday in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are on a blazing hot start, defeating then-No. 18 James Madison, Liberty and then-No. 5 Florida to open their season.

Here’s everything to know about No. 2 UNC (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) before it hosts No. 4 Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) Saturday:

All time series

North Carolina leads 12-7.

Last time they played …

On March 16, 2024, then-No. 7 Syracuse squared off against then-No. 9 UNC for what appeared to be a tough matchup for both teams. Instead, SU bulldozed the Tar Heels 20-5. UNC never scored more than two goals in a quarter as Syracuse outscored it 12-2 in the second half to move to 5-3 on the season.

The Orange were led by Emma Tyrrell’s eight points (five goals, three assists) and Natalie Smith’s four goals, two of eight different goal scorers for SU. Syracuse peppered Alecia Nicholas in net, leading UNC 27-8 in shots on goal, and dominated draw controls 18-9 in the victory.

The Tar Heels report

Last year, UNC finished the regular season 10-5 but fell in both the first round of the ACC Tournament to Virginia and the NCAA Tournament to Florida.

The Tar Heels retained points leader Ashley Humphrey (57) and top scorer Kiley Mottice (33). In total, five of their top seven leaders in points returned. Plus, UNC added Ashley’s sister Chloe, the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, who missed all of last season with an injury. North Carolina’s biggest changes came in the draw circle. Its top two leaders in draw wins — Bailey Horne and Emily Nalls — both graduated, giving it massive voids to fill.

But so far this season, UNC hasn’t been phased. It ranks third in the country in cumulative efficiency (53.7%) and first in adjusted shooting percentage (67.6%), per Lacrosse Reference. Chloe and Ashley are tied for the team lead with 15 points apiece, while Chloe’s team-high 13 goals is seven more than her sister’s. In net, Betty Nelson has taken over the starting job from Nicholas and been superb, amassing a .593 save percentage in her first career starts.

How Syracuse beats UNC

One thing is certain — Syracuse needs to figure out its draw control unit to beat UNC. A 50% clip, like it posted against Cornell, isn’t going to fly against the No. 2 team in the country. While that was an improvement from the Orange’s 12-for-28 rate against the Terrapins, they were playing Cornell, which finished under .500 each of the last two years. They won’t be as lucky against the Tar Heels.

Ella Blesi and Olivia Adamson lead Syracuse onto the field before SU’s matchup with Maryland. The Orange dominated the Terrapins 15-9 to pick up their first ranked win of the season. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

SU also must spread the ball around like it did against the Big Red. While Nelson has appeared to be a brick wall in goal, she’s still just a sophomore seeing her first real college action.

Stat to Know: 28-11

Two of UNC’s three games thus far have been versus ranked teams in JMU and Florida. However, it skated through both, winning by a combined score of 28-11. Against the Dukes on Feb. 7, the Tar Heels won 14-2, only allowing one goal in each half. They also forced 23 turnovers and led 24-9 in shots on goal.

On Saturday versus the Gators, UNC captured a 14-9 victory to slide up to No. 2 in the rankings. Despite many of the team stats being much closer — such as the Tar Heels’ slight 31-28 advantage in shots — Chloe and Ashley’s 14 combined points propelled the win. Syracuse will be the highest-ranked team UNC has played thus far, but it seems to be battle-tested already.

Player to watch: Chloe Humphrey, attack, No. 2

After being ranked the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class but redshirting her freshman season, Chloe has started her college career strong. The Darien, Connecticut, native has starred with Ashley on UNC’s attack, leading the team with 13 goals and tying for the lead in points (15) with her sister. She’s scored at least three goals and four points in each of the Tar Heels’ three games thus far, including a six-point outing against Liberty on Feb. 9.

Published on February 19, 2025 at 10:33 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99