Field Hockey Falls in Chapel Hill to No. 1 North Carolina

By Tara Arya

CitrusTV’s Field Hockey Beat Reporters

Leading up to the game against University of North Carolina, we mentioned how important the Orange’s offense would be if they wanted to upset the two-time defending champions. In doing so, we underestimated how strong Syracuse’s defense is. 

It took a little over 50 minutes for a team to get on the board and, unfortunately for Syracuse, it was UNC that got one to land first. The Orange were able hold the reigning champs and offensive powerhouse Tar Heels to just one goal, their lowest scoring game since their loss to Louisville earlier this year. 

The Orange outshot the Tar Heels 4-2 in the third quarter, but just couldn’t get one past them. Laura Graziosi led the offense with three shots, one on goal. Charlotte de Vries, Carly Bothof and Clara Morrison all logged one shot as well.

It would be UNC’s corner shot opportunities that set Syracuse back in the end. The Tar Heels were able to hold onto the ball after several plays and tally six corner shots to Syracuse’s three. It was off of a corner with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter that helped the Tar Heels ultimately win.

While the Orange didn’t come out of the game with a win, they should be proud of their defensive effort against UNC who has already scored 16 goals this season entering the game. Syracuse has been able to hold teams to low-scoring numbers so far this season and did so again today.

The women head to Winston-Salem where they take on Wake Forest in a double-header Sunday at Noon and Monday. They’ll look to bounce back from their loss to UNC in this series.

taarya@syr.edu | @TaraArya98