Syracuse was in position to achieve its season-long goal of a national championship. The Orange advanced to the final four, needing just two wins to win it all.

But No. 5 SU’s season ended with a 6-1 loss to top-seeded North Carolina on Friday in the final four at the Powhatan Sports Complex in Norfolk, Va. The Orange struck early to take the first lead, but UNC (23-1) scored six straight goals to move on to the national championship game. The Orange (20-3, 6-1 Big East) put together one of the program’s most successful seasons by reaching the final four for the second time ever.

“We’re disappointed we lost and we fell short of what our dream was,” SU head coach Ange Bradley said in a phone interview Friday. “And that’s really disappointing.”

Sophomore Lauren Brooks scored her 12th goal of the season by knocking in the rebound of a shot taken by Leonie Geyer to put the Orange ahead 7:40 into the game.

But Syracuse’s offense produced nothing for the remainder of the game.

“They pressured us very well,” Bradley said. “They stepped up and intercepted a lot of our play through the midfield. … That hurt us. That was something we were not able to work out throughout the game.”

And the team’s defense – one of its strengths all season long – couldn’t slow down the Tar Heels attack.

A little more than a minute after Brooks scored, UNC’s Charlotte Craddock tossed an aerial pass into the circle for Jaclyn Gaudioso Radvany, who scored to tie the game 1-1.

That was just the start of Craddock’s big day on the pitch.

In the 32nd minute, Craddock scored after receiving a penalty corner, giving UNC a lead it never gave back. Sinead Loughran followed with a goal and Craddock scored her second to give the Tar Heels three goals in a span of 1:02 to close out the half with a 4-1 lead.

In the second half, Gaudioso Radvany scored her second of the game and Craddock finished with a hat trick as UNC poured it on offensively, never letting Syracuse back in the game.

Tar Heels goaltender Sassi Ammer, who leads the ACC in shutouts and goals against average, recorded six saves in the victory. SU goalie Leann Stiver made four stops before being pulled with 7:15 remaining.

Despite the disappointing finish, this Syracuse team will be remembered as one of the program’s best.

“We’re a good team, we got to the final four,” Bradley said. “And we didn’t get here by chance, we got here by preparation and hard work. And I’m proud of the way this group of kids represented our university.”

Published on November 16, 2012 at 7:24 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb