Syracuse defense collapses in season-ending 4-2 loss to No. 23 UNC
Syracuse’s season came to a close Sunday following a 4-2 loss to No. 23 UNC. The Tar Heels scored two goals in the game’s first 20 minutes. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Entering its final match of the 2025 season, all hope seemed lost for Syracuse. The Orange had officially been eliminated from postseason contention following Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to No. 7 Duke. One last test against No. 23 North Carolina loomed — yet another uphill battle for SU.
UNC is the mirror image of what Syracuse hoped to become. The Tar Heels have dominated Division I soccer for years, winning 22 of 37 Atlantic Coast Conference championships and 22 of 43 national championships. Meanwhile, SU has yet to make the ACC Tournament since joining the conference in 2013. Just weeks ago, it celebrated its first ACC win since 2022.
As for head-to-head, it’s been entirely one-sided. Entering the match, North Carolina was 10-0 against the Orange, outscoring them 33-5 all-time. Sunday looked destined to be another likely lopsided outing for Syracuse, one that would further define how its season unraveled.
The result was hardly surprising. Syracuse’s (5-9-4, 1-8-1 ACC) 4-2 loss to No. 23 UNC (11-6-0, 5-4-0 ACC) put the finishing touch on yet another campaign where SU never found its rhythm. Olivia Thomas scored two goals in the game’s first 20 minutes, and UNC added two more before halftime. It resulted in a three-goal lead the Orange cut into but couldn’t overcome.
Among the many negatives in Syracuse’s season, its revamped backline was an undeniable positive. Its three new additions provided the Orange stability during their nonconference slate and gave them multiple chances to earn more than one ACC win.
On Sunday, though, that unit crumbled in the first half, digging itself a hole its offense couldn’t climb out of.
Thomas got things started for the Tar Heels just 15 minutes into play. It’s nothing new for the junior forward, who entered Sunday with a team-leading 11 goals, which was also tied for third in the ACC.
A UNC defender carried the ball in its own defending third as Thomas sprinted downfield. She found Thomas, who weaved through three Syracuse defenders before evading Bree Bridges and Maya McDermott. Once she had a clean look, Thomas slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to give UNC the early advantage.
She was far from done, though. Less than five minutes later, Thomas received a throw-in from Hope Munson, backing up one-on-one with Bridges before ushering her away. With Bridges outmatched, no other SU defender picked up Thomas, giving her a chance to turn and score yet another goal to build North Carolina’s lead to two.
SU head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams prides her team on not bowing out of games, even when defeat looks inevitable. Facing a multi-goal deficit gave Syracuse another shot to reflect Adams’ message. It did just that — for a brief moment.
Six minutes after Thomas’ second score, Mia Klammer took a throw-in from the right sideline. Her insert landed in the middle of the 18-yard box, where it was batted around before falling at Ashley Rauch’s feet. Off balance, Rauch weakly put a shot on the bottom left corner of the net. It trickled between players from both teams before sliding past UNC goalkeeper Hannah Johann.
Syracuse was knocking on the door. Rauch’s goal was the Orange’s first since Oct. 11. But the excitement didn’t last long. UNC flew down the field. This time, it wasn’t Thomas but instead Linda Ullmark. Racing through the right channel, Ullmark rifled a shot past SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch to nullify Rauch’s score.
SU was supposed to be the spoiler, but each passing moment gave UNC more momentum entering the playoffs.
A two-goal deficit was something SU faced five times this season before Sunday. However, a three-goal deficit was something the Orange hadn’t experienced since their 4-0 loss to Stanford on Sept. 28. Against UNC, it happened once again.
Eres Freifeld, working down the right sideline, crossed the ball into the middle of the 18-yard box. There, Kate Faasse, a First Team All-American, headed the ball past Vanderbosch to extend North Carolina’s lead.
There were still seven minutes remaining in the first half, and Syracuse was already facing its largest deficit in nearly a month. In the second half, though, it began to figure things out.
Ten minutes in, Gabby Wisbeck spotted Rauch approaching the goal. After Wisbeck’s cross, Rauch headed the ball, which weakly reached Klammer. One-on-one with UNC goalkeeper Liya Brooks, Klammer slid the ball between her legs to bring SU’s deficit back down to two.
It was a step in the right direction, but it came far too late. In the final 35 minutes, Syracuse attempted just one more shot, never truly threatening to overtake the lead.
Syracuse’s season ended as it began — flashes of promise hindered by inconsistency. Its lone ACC win pointed toward a brighter future, but with 12 seniors and graduate students departing, including Klammer, Rauch and Vanderbosch, that future now faces more questions than answers.
