Late goal stuns No. 9 Syracuse field hockey in 4-3 loss to No. 2 North Carolina

One final regular season home chapter gave No. 9 Syracuse field hockey the chance to rewrite the story against No.2 North Carolina. But the Tar Heels held the pen in a last-second 4-3 victory. The Cuse held the lead 3-1 at the half, marking UNC’s first halftime deficit of the season. But SU just couldn’t hold on.  

“I think where you saw it wasn’t as clean when we tried to do a little too much. For us, it’s teamwork that’s going to be the key. I think what got us is when we had the card at the end. We probably could have plugged that space in a little bit sharper. However, that’s why you experience this kind of stuff,” Syracuse head coach Lynn Farquhar said. 

But despite the loss, SU still has a lot to take away from this one. On the stat sheet, it says UNC dominated — double the shots, nearly double the shots on goal, and over twice the penalty corners — but the Orange still kept it a one goal game. Coach Farquhar is proud of that.

“This team’s played with each other for two months. Over half of our team is new. We know UNC is a top team; the ACC is a top conference. What these guys have done in a short amount of time I think is incredible. So we just gotta keep on looking at what’s going to work, how to become better, and the first half was really fun for this squad. You go back to making the moments fun, even when you’re under high pressure, and you’ve got something magical,” Farquhar said.

“You saw them come to life, and when we do that, I think we are unstoppable. It’s just how quickly can we do it.”

Now 2-4 in ACC play, the Cuse has just two more conference games to reach .500. SU’s next shot at redemption comes in a week, as it travels to face Boston College on Friday at 6.

Reporting from J.S. Coyne Stadium, Sydney Chan, CitrusTV.