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After winning its first nine conference games, Syracuse earned its first outright ACC regular season title. Throughout their win streak, the Orange outscored their opponents by 93 goals and notched wins over No. 2 Notre Dame, then-No. 9 North Carolina and then-No. 9 Virginia.

Yet even with the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament locked up ahead of its final regular season game, SU faced a major challenge playing Boston College on the road. The Eagles are the reigning ACC Tournament champions and won their last four games against Syracuse. On April 18, BC’s Cassidy Weeks scored an overtime goal, handing SU its first conference loss.

The loss dropped Syracuse from No. 2 to No. 4 in Inside Lacrosse’s poll — the third-best in the ACC behind No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Boston College. But Syracuse can cement itself as the best team in the ACC by winning the conference tournament. On the road toward winning its first ACC Tournament since 2015, SU first faces Louisville in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Here’s everything to know about No. 9 seed Louisville (8-10, 3-7 ACC) before it faces No. 1 seed Syracuse (12-4, 8-1 ACC) in the ACC Tournament:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 14-1

Last time they played…

On March 30, Louisville traveled to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Syracuse. The Orange entered the game on a five-game winning streak, but started the game slowly, commanding a 9-7 halftime lead. But SU dominated the second half, outsourcing Louisville 13-5 en route to a blowout 22-12 win.

The Orange excelled in the circle throughout the game, winning 24-of-36 draw controls. Meanwhile, SU’s defense silenced U-of-L’s Kokoro Nakazawa, who had the second-most points in the ACC.

The Cardinals report

Unlike Syracuse, who along with the top six seeds received a bye-game in the ACC Tournament, Louisville’s two regular season conference wins forced it to play a first round game.

The Cardinals earned the No. 9 seed, the second-lowest seed in the tournament. Facing No. 8 seed Virginia Tech, Louisville pulled out an upset 13-11 win. In the Cardinals’ first-ever ACC Tournament win, Nakazawa and Nicole Perroni combined for seven goals.

Nakazawa (81) and Perroni (54) are the top point scorers on Louisville’s offense, leading it to a 37.4% offensive efficiency, No. 17 in Division I according to Lacrosse Reference. While their offense has excelled, the Cardinals’ defense has held it back this season, allowing the most goals in the ACC (246).

Fernanda Kligerman | Design Editor

How Syracuse beats Louisville

Facing a far inferior team in all aspects, Syracuse cannot play down to Louisville’s level. SU’s biggest key is getting out to a fast start, which they should have no problem doing by utilizing their plethora of scoring options.

If any combination of Emma Tyrrell, Emma Ward, Olivia Adamson, Natalie Smith and Maddy Baxter dissect the Cardinals’ defense early, everything opens up for SU’s offense. Additionally, if Delaney Sweitzer builds off one of her better performances of the season versus BC, Louisville’s stout attack will be easily thwarted.

Stat to know: 30.4%

Louisville’s 37.4% offensive efficiency is No. 17 in D-I, but its 30.4% defensive efficiency ranks No. 72, per Lacrosse Reference.

Coming off its second-lowest goals scored this season facing Boston College, the No. 3 team in defensive efficiency, Syracuse’s attack can bounce back against a mediocre defense.

As seen by their 22 goals in the first matchup, the Orange should shred the Cardinals’ defense to advance to the semifinals.

Player to watch: Nicole Perroni, midfielder, No. 88

After making the ACC’s All-Second team as a senior in 2023, Perroni returned to the Cardinals for her graduate year. Through 18 games, she’s scored 45 goals and notched nine assists.

Against the Orange, she can tie her single-season career-high 57 points with a three-point game. Additionally, if she nets five goals — which she accomplished in games in 2022 and 2023 but not 2024 — she’ll tie her career-high 50 goals that she set in 2022.

Published on April 23, 2024 at 11:13 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon