University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
16-2
Syracuse
15-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 11 | 18 |
Tar Heels Run Past Syracuse For ACC Title, 18-11
April 30, 2017 | Women's Lacrosse
RICHMOND, VA. – The top-seeded University of North Carolina women's lacrosse team got a career day from Most Valuable Player Molly Hendrick and beat second-seeded Syracuse, 18-11, on Sunday afternoon in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament final at Sports Backers Stadium.
Carolina closed the game on a 9-0 run over the final 15:40 and held Syracuse scoreless for the final 18:38 of the game. For the Tar Heels, it was their second consecutive ACC title and their third overall (2002, 2016, 2017).
Hendrick tied her career high with seven goals (set in the regular season finale at Duke) and set a new career best with nine points. She has a career-high 66 goals this season. Her seven goals on Sunday came on just nine shots, and she added two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Carolina overcame a 4-0 deficit in the opening 12 minutes, then responded to a 5-0 Syracuse run early in the second half with its 9-0 run to seize the championship.
UNC has won 33 of its last 35 games overall and 22 of its last 23 against ACC opponents. The Tar Heels and Orange were meeting in the ACC championship game for the third year in a row.
Carolina improved to 16-2 overall in 2017 and earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the ACC champion. UNC rebounded from its loss in Chapel Hill two weeks ago to Syracuse, which fell to 15-6 with the loss.
In addition to the output from Hendrick, UNC also got three goals and three assists from Sydney Holman, four second-half goals from Carly Reed and three assists from Ela Hazar. Marie McCool had a goal and an assist, while Sammy Jo Tracy, Kara Klages and Gianna Bowe each scored once. Katie Hoeg had an assist.
Holman, Reed, Hazar and McCool joined Hendrick on the All-ACC Tournament Team.
Devon Parker led Syracuse with two goals and two assists, while Riley Donahue had two goals and an assist and Mary Rahal and Emily Hawryschuk both scored twice. Alie Jimerson had a goal and an assist, while Natalie Wallon and Neena Merola each scored once.
“It was certainly a game of runs, and after we went on our (final) run in the second half, we said, 'OK, don't let them go on another run,'” Tar Heel head coach Jenny Levy said afterward. “Obviously one of the keys to the game is great defense, the one-on-one stops and taking care of the individual matchups. One we started getting some stops, I thought, way key, but we also started dominating on the draw circle. They just didn't have the ball in the second half as much as we did. Once we got into a rhythm, I think it really opened up their defense.
“At halftime we talked with our offensive unit. They felt like they were open, we just had to make some adjustments in the second half in order to connect on some of the cutters in the interior and also be a threat from the exterior. We obviously didn't get off to a great start in the game, but I thought we adjusted really well. Look, games are really long – two 30-minute halves – so if it doesn't start the way you want it to and it's not perfect, you've got to find a way. I thought the adjustments our coaches made on both the offensive and defensive ends were really effective. They freed our kids up. I think it was just a matter of time until they got in synch with each other, and it gave us some momentum to break open the game.”
Syracuse jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening 12 minutes of action, highlighted by a pair of goals by Donahue. Carolina ended the half on a 7-2 run after trailing, 4-0.
After a media timeout at the 18:16 mark of the first half, the Tar Heels went on a 4-0 run on two goals each by Holman and Hendrick to tie the score at the 10:23 mark, forcing a Syracuse timeout. Five minutes later, Carolina received two yellow cards, allowing Syracuse to score while up two players to make it 5-4. Hawryschuk's free position goal made it 6-4 Orange with under 4:00 to go in the half, then Klages' free position score made it 6-5. The teams traded goals, with Hendrick scoring her fourth of the first half to give UNC a 7-6 lead at the break.
In the second half, Reed scored back-to-back goals in the opening 3:32 after halftime, giving UNC a 9-6 lead. Syracuse responded with a 5-0 run to take an 11-9 lead with 18:38 to play in the second half.
Reed stopped the 5-0 run with an unassisted goal, and the Tar Heels went on a 4-0 run to take a 13-11 lead with 12:23 to go, forcing a Syracuse timeout. Hendrick dished to Holman less than 30 seconds later for another UNC goal and a 14-11 lead. Reed followed with another goal, and it was a 6-0 Tar Heel run to a 15-11 advantage. Three more goals followed for the 9-0 run, and Carolina was in control for all of the closing minutes.
Carolina won 22 draws as a team to Syracuse's nine, led by Maggie Auslander's five, four from McCool and three each from Tracy, Erin Kelly and Carly Davis. The Tar Heels controlled 13 of 17 draws in the second half. UNC out-shot Syracuse, 38-26.
Caylee Waters started in goal for Carolina and made seven saves, improving to 16-2 this season in the cage. Asa Goldstock made six saves for Syracuse.
