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Defeating the No. 2 team in the nation on the road is no easy feat. Achieving the upset without your leading goal scorer is nearly impossible.

As Syracuse traveled to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels with Olivia Adamson unavailable, it was quickly apparent its attack didn’t display the same firepower.

Without their leading goal scorer, the No. 4 Orange (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) were decimated by No. 2 UNC (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) 16-8 Saturday, totaling single-digit goals for just the eighth time in head coach Kayla Treanor’s four years at the helm. Adamson’s absence resulted in a stagnant attack, pinning a 17-minute scoreless stretch from the first quarter to the second and a 15-minute one from the end of the second to a minute left in the third.

After the game, neither Treanor nor any Syracuse players were made available for comment, leaving Adamson’s status uncertain and the attack unaccountable for its dreadful performance.

To add to SU’s miseries, an 18-9 disadvantage in the draw circle and a season-worst .296 shooting percentage largely hampered the day. The poor accuracy toward the net was its worst by far, dividing its previous average of .592 in half.

Through Syracuse’s first three games, Adamson notched a team-leading 10 goals. Her 16 points were just one behind Emma Ward, the second leg of a lethal attacking duo. Despite the two veterans leading the charge, Treanor saw the offense as a full team effort.

“It’s a shared offense. This is not a one-person show,” Treanor said following SU’s win over Cornell on Tuesday. “Everybody that’s on the field is a threat, and so we have a lot of balance.”

SU’s head coach was right in her assessment. The Orange have 12 different goal scorers this year thus far, and 10 in the victory over the Big Red. Facing the Tar Heels, however, was a different task. The Orange were already playing from behind before their offense touched the ball. With Adamson out, Ward was forced to fledge for herself at times.

Using her strong facilitating skills, Ward fed Gracie Britton for Syracuse’s first goal. After taking nearly half the shot clock, the Orange broke the zone with quick passing through its middle. A few-minute hiatus for the attack ended with Molly Guzik streaking through the right side and piercing a shot over UNC goalie Betty Nelson’s right shoulder.

The attack looked as if it was operating on a normal basis when given the opportunity. But then came a cold streak. One that put the game out of reach.

North Carolina’s defense had already displayed potential as a top unit in the country through the opening three games, holding its first two opponents to two goals and then one. Part of its success came with its two Preseason All-ACC selections Kaleigh Harden in the midfield and Brooklyn Walker-Welch on defense.

Harden forced SU’s midfielders outside the 12-meter fan. Walker-Welch keyed on No. 44 in navy.

As the Tar Heels built a 6-2 lead nearing the end of the first frame, Syracuse’s offense hit a lull. The shot clock dwindled down and the Orange threw multiple errant passes that bounced around the turf but stayed in their possession. As Walker-Welch face-guarded Ward, Guzik was forced to run circles around X, coming out the left side and holding onto the ball as time expired.

UNC only poured it on from there, and when SU did get a chance to draw some blood minutes into the second quarter, Walker-Welch didn’t allow Ward to do her typical bullying from X into the front of the net. Ward began to circle off the ball to outside the 12-meter fan, freeing her up for more movement.

With Walker-Welch covering the left corner of the zone, Ward attacked straight down the center and fired a wide-open shot wide of the mark, hopping in frustration and looking skyward following the miss. Seconds later, she received the ball in the same spot and buried it to stop a UNC 7-0 run.

With Ward’s presence known as a bruiser inside, it seemed as if Walker-Welch and the Tar Heels were almost daring her to exploit them from the perimeter, as long as the middle was protected. When Ward did maneuver past the first level and decide to dish, the likes of Alexa Vogelman and Britton, among others failed to finish.

As the Tar Heels led 14-7 with minutes to go, Ward went mano a mano with Walker-Welch from X one more time. She dipped her left shoulder into UNC’s top defender and pushed her to the ground, prompting a charge call. Ward looked down, trotted slowly back to SU’s side and that was that.

The graduate student did total a team-high four points. Vogelman produced a career-high and connected on two goals. But without the explosiveness that Adamson consistently provides, Syracuse’s inexperienced attack cracked for the first time.

Published on February 22, 2025 at 4:21 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky