Observations from No. 11 SU’s 14-12 loss to No. 8 UNC: Mullen vs. Wambach, clearing issues
Syracuse had a tough time dealing with North Carolina’s aggressive ride, clearing the ball just 10-of-17 times in its 14-12 loss. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s final regular-season game versus North Carolina had elevated stakes. A win for SU meant it would seal its first Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title since 2019 and would likely lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. A loss would continue its late-season slide heading into the ACC Tournament.
The Orange found themselves in this position following back-to-back losses to No. 1 Cornell and then-No. 12 Duke. Prior to Syracuse’s defeats, it was riding a six-game winning streak, which included a 14-9 thrashing over then-No. 5 Notre Dame. Though, poor performances away from the JMA Wireless Dome have created an air of uncertainty.
The Orange didn’t do themselves any favors Saturday. They led for portions of the first half, but sloppy play allowed UNC to take control. The Tar Heels led by two at halftime and didn’t let up in the second half, building a six-goal lead. Syracuse scored four goals late, but it wasn’t enough to prevail.
Here are some observations from No. 11 Syracuse’s (9-5, 2-2 ACC) 14-12 loss to No. 8 North Carolina (10-3, 3-1 ACC):
Mullen vs. Wambach
Syracuse and North Carolina hold a lot of star power in their respective attacks, but they both feed off the elite play from their faceoff specialists. For Syracuse, John Mullen has that responsibility. UNC trusts Brady Wambach. Both players entered Saturday ranked in the top seven in faceoff percentage in the country. Mullen — who’s won 63.2% of his attempts — holds the seventh-best faceoff percentage in the nation, while Wambach is third with a 65.3% win rate.
Wambach got the better of Mullen in the early going. He won the first four faceoffs, easily flipping it to himself twice to help initiate UNC’s offense. On the fifth attempt, Mullen jumped early, resulting in Johnny Richiusa having to take the next faceoff.
Wambach’s early flurry gave UNC ample possession time and chances to score. Meanwhile, Syracuse had to make the most of its chances, getting outshot by 12 in the opening 15 minutes.
It took 22 minutes for Mullen to win a faceoff, finally corralling a loose ball after winning the initial clamp. Even with Syracuse’s lack of possessions, it still led at that point. That changed toward the end of the first half, where UNC scored the final four goals.
Having to make up a multiple-goal deficit with Wambach on the other side put Syracuse in a less-than-ideal situation.
Mullen performed slightly better in the second half but finished just 11-of-26 on the day, marking his second-worst performance of the season.
Spallina back at X
Since Finn Thomson’s injury, Syracuse has experimented with how it uses Joey Spallina. Rather than placing him behind the cage at X against Notre Dame, Spallina played above the game and exploded for four goals. Over the past two games, he’s remained there and had mixed success, scoring just once against Cornell before recording five points against Duke.
From the jump, Spallina stayed at X and it worked. Luke Rhoa’s shot trickled wide, and Spallina was first to the rebound. He scanned around for cutters until Michael Leo popped open on the right wing for a stepdown to make it 1-0. On SU’s next possession, Spallina was fed behind the cage. Facing minimal pressure, Spallina easily hit Owen Hiltz in a similar spot for his second assist.
Due to its lack of possessions, Syracuse had a tough time cycling the ball through Spallina over the next period of the game. If Spallina did receive the ball, Cole Aasheim did a good job of remaining physical with him.
In one sequence toward the end of the first half, Spallina had Aasheim hung up in front of the goal. Spallina waited for the cutters to get open, but nobody did. The possession ended with SU’s eighth turnover of the first half.
While down three in the second half, Spallina tried to force the issue and curl around to the left side of the crease. He was met by two UNC defenders and ended up getting a shot off, but it was a feeble effort. Spallina ended the game scoreless but finished with five assists.
UNC firing away
North Carolina is one of the most aggressive shooting teams in the country. Led by marksmen Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala, the Tar Heels are not afraid to unleash shots from anywhere. All they need is a sliver of an angle, and they’re ready to fire. Sometimes the angle isn’t even there, and they’ll still rip one.
It took the Tar Heels some time, but they eventually found their shooting touch. Despite attempting 22 shots in the first quarter, UNC only scored twice. A lot of that had to do with SU goalie Jimmy McCool standing on his head with eight saves.
It wasn’t until a late flurry in the second quarter that the momentum was flipped. SU led 4-2 when Pietramala got free in the middle of the field for a lefty snipe. Pietramala added his second after Duffy hit him on the run. Brevin Wilson gave UNC the lead back, and then Pietramala twirled his way to a hat trick. Wambach had the ball checked away following a faceoff win, but Pietramala picked up the loose ball. He spun between SU defenders before adding to his tally.
Pietramala led the way with five goals, while North Carolina outshot Syracuse 59-40.
Clearing issues
Syracuse is familiar with North Carolina defensive coordinator Dave Pietramala. He held the same position with Syracuse from 2022-23, before moving on to Chapel Hill. With North Carolina, Pietramala has it be ultra aggressive on the ride. The Orange had trouble dealing with it throughout. Whether it was ill-advised passes or running into pressure, Syracuse constantly shot itself in the foot.
UNC attackers Duffy, Dominic and James Matan all provided, while its midfielders held strong at midfield to wall off any potential.
Syracuse failed to clear the ball three times in the first half, but it got even worse in the third quarter. As an adjustment, Hiltz came through the box and received the ball in Syracuse’s defensive half. When he was pressured, Hiltz tossed a long pass to English, which was too far out of his reach. The following clear, English ran into trouble and caught the ball up.
That mistake led to Spencer Wirtheim increasing UNC’s lead to three. In the fourth quarter, the struggles persisted. Following a UNC turnover, Billy Dwan III chucked the ball upfield in hopes of finding Thomson in the corner. Instead, goalie Michael Gianforcaro intercepted the pass.
The Orange finished the game 10-for-17 on clears, a deficit too great to overcome.
Seeding implications
There was a lot at play for seeding implications Saturday. Syracuse could’ve ended up being the No. 1, No. 3, or No. 4 seed. With its loss, it’ll be the No. 4 seed and face Notre Dame in Charlotte, North Carolina, next week.
If Duke had lost to Virginia earlier in the day, Syracuse would’ve been the No. 3 seed and taken on the Tar Heels in the ACC Semifinals. Instead, the Orange will have to put this loss behind them with a game against the two-time reigning national champions on the horizon.
