The Syracuse women's lacrosse team is still number one in the country. The team remains undefeated after their win against reigning champion North Carolina in a 14-12 matchup. Syracuse ended UNC’s 41 home game winning streak while also beating UNC for the first time in six years.
This was a competitive matchup and it showed. This game proved just how much of a rivalry these teams have. There were a total of four yellow cards and both teams had a combined total of 61 fouls. This physical game left many Syracuse fans worried, as star player Meaghan Tyrrell went down in the second quarter after she was hit in the head. She eventually walked off the field on her own and made it back into the game.
This injury did not stop Tyrrell, as this was a monumental game for her. She surpassed head coach Kayla Treanor in career points scored, and now has a total of 394 points. She sits just two points behind Katie Rowan, who is in first place with 396.
This game was the Tyrrell show as Meaghan’s sister Emma Tyrrell had a stellar performance against UNC as well. Though she sat out of SU’s last game against Clemson, she came out strong against UNC as she scored a hat trick in the first quarter alone. She ended the game with six points, four goals and two assists.
Where Syracuse struggled was in draw controls. By halftime, the Tar Heels had more than double the amount of draw controls than the Orange. But that didn’t seem to affect Syracuse, as its goalie Delaney Sweitzer made a statement stop. She never let UNC take the lead after its first goal. Sweitzer tied her career high of 15 saves on the day making this her sixth game of the season with 10+ saves. Sweitzer faced 27 shots on goal, only allowing the Tarheels 12 of those 27.
Meanwhile, the Syracuse offense was on fire. Though the Orange didn’t have possession for most of the game due to the loss of draw controls, when they did get the ball they were dangerous. Syracuse made 14 of its 19 shots on goal. What makes this offense so dangerous is that nine of those 14 goals were assisted, showing how strong the chemistry is between these players.
Next up, the Orange take on Boston College for their final regular season game. The game will be played at the SU Soccer Stadium on Thursday April 20 at 7 p.m.
