Sports SUmmary: Syracuse field hockey falls 4-3 to UNC in ACC Semifinals

Sports SUmmary: SU field hockey loses in ACC Semifinals

Syracuse pushes Tar Heels to overtime in their third ACC semifinal appearance.
Published: November 6, 2020
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Laura Graziosi (8) and Adele Iacobucci (13) battle for possession of the ball at the SU Soccer Stadium on Sept. 20, 2019.

Syracuse field hockey lost to two-time defending national champions UNC in the semifinals of the ACC playoffs. Despite being the underdog against the now winningest field hockey coach in NCAA history, the Orange held their own against the Tar Heels, pushing the game to overtime before UNC would put away the deciding goal to win 4-3.

“This lays the foundation for a championship,” said head coach Ange Bradley postgame. “This is a very good team. Their work ethic, their belief, their aggression and their composure is outstanding. They remind me so much of the team I coached from 2012-15. This team is going to be around. We have a ton of freshman and they’re going to find a way to win a championship.”

Syracuse advanced to the semifinal match after beating Duke 3-2 in the first round of the tournament. That game also was decided in overtime.

Laura Graziosi topped her season scoring high in Syracuse’s battle against Duke on Thursday, grabbing two goals on the night for the Orange, and led them to the ACC Semifinals for their first appearance since 2015. Eefke van den Nieuwenhof logged Syracuse’s second goal of the night, bringing her season tally to two goals.

Syracuse’s regular season faceoff versus Duke also ended with a game-winning goal by Graziosi on Oct. 10, lifting the Orange to a 4-3 win over the Blue Devils. Syracuse has remained strong following that game, winning five of their last six games and maintaining a five-straight game winning streak entering their upcoming semifinal matchup against North Carolina on Friday.

Syracuse football’s Williams declares for 2021 NFL draft

Following an injury that sidelined him for two games this season, junior defensive back Trill Williams announced on Wednesday that he would not play the remaining four games of the season but enter into the 2021 NFL draft instead.

Williams finishes off his Syracuse career with 93 tackles, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.

His departure makes him the second Orange defensive back to do so this season, coming after Andre Cisco’s declaration for the draft following a season-ending injury earlier this year.

Syracuse 8 discussion reminds SU community of importance of racial equality both on and off field

Six of the original nine members of the Syracuse 8, Greg Allen, Alif Muhammad, Ron Womack, Dana Harrell, Clarence McGill and John Lobon, spoke to members of the Syracuse University community on Thursday.

The nine Syracuse University football players came to be known as the Syracuse 8 when they made the instrumental decision to boycott the 1970 football season after facing racial injustice at the university.

Harrell said that although there was a lot of pushback, the decision to speak out was not a difficult one.

“There were usual challenges when you step out and challenge an institution,” said Harrell. “We as a group, individually…made a decision that something had to be done.”

Lobon and Allen were the only two who chose to return and play for Syracuse following the boycott.

All members of the Syracuse 8 were brought back in 2006 to receive the Chancellor’s Medal for Courage, commending them for their courage and commitment to promoting equality within Syracuse University athletics.

Although their actions spoke volumes, Muhammad wanted to encourage all those in attendance to keep pushing for equality, leaving them with this one question.

“How can we, today, cooperate and collaborate for a better tomorrow for Syracuse University, for the community, for our families?”