By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina’s missed chances in regulation and consequential whistle proved costly.
After nine consecutive trips to the ACC field hockey tournament championship game, all of them ending in titles, the top-seeded Tar Heels made a rare early exit. A video review wiped out a goal from star fifth-year forward Ryleigh Heck, whose penalty stroke in the 58th minute went high.
Fourth-seeded Syracuse took a 3–2 semifinal victory Wednesday at Karen Shelton Stadium, winning the shootout 3–1. The Orange overcame an 18–4 shot disparity to do it.
“We had our chances to put it away, and we didn’t,” said UNC coach Erin Matson, who had a 10–3 advantage in shots on goal. “Syracuse fought all game. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
Matson said the end of UNC’s championship-game streak wasn’t what the program wanted, but she praised how her team handled the tough moments.
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“I think our girls played a great game of hockey, and I’m mainly proud of their response to goals, calls not going their way, our missed opportunities, whatever it is,” Matson said. “They didn’t falter. They kept going.”
Heck didn’t get off a shot until the 45th minute, when she fired one into the cage after a scramble. Following a lengthy review, officials ruled that a referee’s whistle blew before the shot.
The Tar Heels came away empty, and the game remained tied 2–2 for the rest of regulation and overtime.
Matson, who said she was choosing her words carefully to avoid a fine, described the sequence as odd.
“Whistle was blown before the ball crossed the line, but the goal hand sign was given,” Matson said. “It was just a weird timing call. The build-up was great. The goal was great.”
Syracuse goaltender Tane King, who replaced starter Jessie Eiselin at halftime, said the Orange stopped playing when they heard the whistle and were stunned when the goal was initially awarded.
“I heard the ref blow her whistle, and we all stopped playing,” King said. “So, when the goal went in, and she called it, we were like, ‘No, you blew your whistle.’ So, we referred it.”
Matson said she chose her best player for the pivotal penalty stroke.
“Ryleigh is one of the best players to ever walk through this program, and in a moment you go with your best player to take a stroke, and she sunk them all season in practice and games, and it didn’t happen,” Matson said.
After Tessa Shahbo played through regulation and overtime in goal for Carolina, making two saves and allowing two goals, Matson swapped her out for Merritt Skubisz, the starter for most of the season, for the shootout.
“She is our best shootout goalkeeper,” Matson said. “So, you go with your best people.”
After Heck scored on the first turn in the shootout and Syracuse’s Bo Madden got stopped, UNC forward Reese Anetsberger went wide right. The Orange’s Taylor Bigbie scored, but senior forward Charly Bruder couldn’t get a shot off. Hattie Madden converted for Syracuse and Dani Mendez’s shot went wide right. Sammie Goin then converted to win the game.
UNC led 3–0 in shots and 2–0 in penalty corners during a scoreless first quarter. Syracuse didn’t get off a shot until Madden scored off a counterattack from just left of the cage in the 20th minute.
Carolina trailed for the first time in four games, but that lasted only 53 seconds.
Freshman midfielder Sofia Ferri passed to sophomore midfielder Jenna Narleski on a penalty corner, and Narleski settled the ball before firing it past Eiselin in the 21st minute.
Forward Aubrey Turner put Syracuse back ahead in the 25th minute.
Bruder tied it with 47.6 seconds left in the half, driving the back line, juking Eiselin and slipping the ball between her legs. Carolina went into halftime tied 2–2 with a 10–4 shot advantage.
Matson said the goal showed how much Bruder has grown as a player.
“She’s a fighter. She barrels through. She doesn’t care who’s in her way, and I think her skill has improved so much as a player over time here at Carolina,” Matson said.
Matson said she was still trying to make sense of the loss in the moments after the game, but she looked at it as part of a larger arc for a team that grew throughout the fall.
“It’s been a very transformative season,” Matson said. “It’s been a season of growth and development, clearly for them, but also for us as a staff. And to us, this is just another lesson to learn.”
Syracuse (10–6) was 0–8 against UNC in Chapel Hill until the victory, and lost to the Tar Heels (12–6) in Chapel Hill 2–1 on Oct. 18.
No. 13 Syracuse 3, No. 10 UNC 2 (shootout)
Karen Shelton Stadium
All games on ACC Network
Tuesday’s quarterfinals
No. 1 seed, No. 10-ranked North Carolina 6, No. 8 seed Stanford 0
No. 4 seed, No. 13-ranked Syracuse 4, No. 5 seed Louisville 3
No. 6 seed, No. 19-ranked Virginia 1, No. 2 seed, No. 7-ranked Wake Forest 0, OT
No. 7 seed Boston College 2, No. 3 seed, No. 6-ranked Duke 1
Wednesday’s semifinals
Syracuse 3, North Carolina 2 (3–1 shootout)
Boston College 2, Virginia 1
Friday’s championship game
Syracuse (11–6) vs. Boston College (10–9), 3 p.m.
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranking) | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Winston-Salem | |||
| 28 | Friday | L, 2–1, OT | Michigan | 0–1 |
| 30 | Sunday | L, 3–2, OT | No. 9 Iowa | 0–2 |
| September | ||||
| 4 | Friday | W, 7–0 | Penn | 1–2 |
| 6 | Sunday | W, 1–0, OT (3–2 shootout) | No. 8 Princeton | 2–2 |
| 11 | Friday | L, 5–4, OT | Old Dominion | 2–3 |
| 13 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | at Richmond | 3–3 |
| 20 | Sunday | L, 2–1 | vs. No. 19 Virginia | 3–4, 0–1 ACC |
| 25 | Friday | W, 8–1 | at Stanford | 4–4, 1–1 |
| 27 | Sunday | W, 4–0 | at No. 17 California | 5–4, 2–1 |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | W, 3–0 | at Louisville | 6–4, 3–1 |
| 9 | Friday | W, 8–0. | at Saint Joseph’s | 7–4 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 2–1 | at No. 12 Liberty | 7–5 |
| 16 | Friday | W, 4–0 | vs. Boston College | 8–5, 4–1 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 2–1 | vs. No. 13 Syracuse | 9–5, 5–1 |
| 23 | Friday | L, 4–3 | vs. No. 7 Wake Forest | 9–6, 5–2 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 5–0 | at Appalachian State | 10–6 |
| 30 | Friday | W, 2–1 | at No. 6 Duke | 11–6, 6–2 |
| November | ACC tournament At Karen Shelton Stadium | |||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 6–0 | First round: vs. Stanford | 12–6 |
| 4 | Wednesday | L, 3–2, (3–1 shootout) | Semifinals: No. 13 Syracuse | 12–7 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 13 | Friday | TBA | First round Campus sites | |
| 15 | Sunday | TBA | Second round Campus sites | |
| 20 | Friday | TBA | National semifinals Louisville | |
| 23 | Sunday | TBA | Championship Louisville |
Photo by Ainsley Fauth/theACC.com
