Syracuse Knocks Off No. 1 UNC in OT, 3-2

Friday, November 7

Durham, N.C.

3:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

(15-4)

#1 North Carolina

(17-3)

OT 2

Syracuse

North Carolina

11/7/2014 7:00:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

The Orange advances to its first-ever ACC Championship final

DURHAM, N.C. – Junior forward Emma Russell continued her historic 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship by tallying the game-winning goal in the 78th minute to propel the No. 6 Syracuse University field hockey team to a 3-2 overtime victory against No. 1 North Carolina on Friday afternoon at Jack Katz Stadium. With the win, Syracuse advances to its first ACC Championship final, where it takes on No. 11 Wake Forest on Sunday at 1 p.m.

"It was a great game for both teams," head coach Ange Bradley said. "North Carolina and Syracuse, it is a battle in every sport that we play. I want to congratulate both teams. Emma Russell just stepped up and finished a beautiful run. She is playing and peaking at the right time of year. It is exciting."

Russell went top shelf for her second goal of the day to secure the win in extra time. The Enniskerry, Ireland native has an ACC Championship-record six goals for the 2014 tournament. In addition, Russell scored her fourth game-winning goal in overtime this year.

Syracuse (15-4) recorded its first victory against a top-ranked team since 2008 with its 3-2 win against No. 1 North Carolina on Friday. Its last victory against the nation's No. 1 program was on Sept. 13, 2008 against Maryland.

Russell continued her scoring streak in the ACC Championship early, putting the Orange ahead 1-0 in the 16th minute of action. Junior midfielder Alyssa Manley collected a pass from freshman midfielder Lieke Visser inside the scoring circle. Manley drove down the end line and found Russell in front. Russell collected the ball from Manley, spun around, and placed the ball in the lower left corner for her fifth goal of the tournament.

North Carolina did not fret and tied things up with six minutes to go in the first half. Following a green card on freshman midfielder Jessica Ross, UNC quickly regrouped and crashed the Syracuse circle. Tar Heerls junior forward Casey Di Nardo deflected a shot past junior goalkeeper Jess Jecko to knot the score at one apiece.

The Tar Heels tallied another only minutes to later to push ahead, 2-1, headed into halftime. UNC was awarded a penalty corner in the 34th minute. Jecko made a save on the initial shot, but North Carolina senior forward Charlotte Craddock grabbed the rebound and slotted it home.

After a series of penalty corners in the second half, Syracuse finally broke through to tie it up in the 55th minute. Visser inserted on the team's eighth penalty corner and settled in front of the net. Freshman forward Lies Lagerweij was turned away by UNC sophomore goalkeeper Shannon Johnson, but Visser was there for the rebound and put it home.

The two teams would remain scoreless for the remainder of regulation and would head to overtime. After a series of defensive stands from the Orange, highlighted by two saves from Jecko, the stage was set for Russell.

The Syracuse University field hockey team will take on fourth-seeded Wake Forest in the ACC Championship final on Sunday afternoon. The game is slated to start at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.