CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (theACC.com) – For the first time in a decade, a new champion will lift the Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship trophy after Syracuse and Boston College advanced after a pair of dramatic semifinal victories Wednesday at Karen Shelton Stadium. The Orange ousted nine-time defending champion North Carolina in a shootout, while the Eagles edged Virginia in overtime to set up Friday’s championship match.
No. 4 Syracuse 3, No. 1 North Carolina 2 (Syracuse advances, 3-1 in shootout)
For the first time since 2016, the ACC will crown a field hockey champion other than North Carolina. No. 4 seed Syracuse ended the top-seeded Tar Heels’ run of nine consecutive ACC Championship titles, advancing after a 2-2 draw and a 3-1 shootout victory.
After a scoreless first quarter, the teams traded four goals in the second frame and went into halftime tied, 2-2. Syracuse’s Hattie Madden opened the scoring by driving a bouncing ball into the left side of the cage. North Carolina answered less than three minutes later on a penalty-corner sequence, as ACC Freshman of the Year Sofia Ferri sent the ball toward goal and Jenna Narleski supplied the finishing touch for her first goal of the season.
Aubrey Turner restored Syracuse’s lead with her 10th goal of the season, finishing through an attempted defensive save. The Tar Heels responded again with less than a minute remaining in the half, when Charly Bruder scored her 16th goal of the season off a feed from Reese Anetsberger.
Both defenses settled in after halftime, and the match remained scoreless through the second half and overtime. North Carolina held a 12-1 advantage in shots over those periods, but Syracuse goalkeeper Tane King, who entered at halftime, turned aside every Tar Heel attempt on goal.
King carried that form into the five-round shootout. After North Carolina’s Ryleigh Heck converted the opening attempt, King kept the Tar Heels off the board on their next three chances. Taylor Bigbie answered to level the shootout at 1-1, Madden put the Orange ahead, and sophomore midfielder Sammie Goin converted the clinching attempt to send Syracuse into the final.
Syracuse will play in the ACC Championship final for the first time since 2015 and will seek its first ACC tournament title.
No. 6 Boston College 2, No. 7 Virginia 1 (OT)
The second semifinal also required extra time, as No. 6 seed Boston College defeated No. 7 seed Virginia, 2-1. Freshman Maren Boyle scored the game-winning goal for the second straight match.
Just 75 seconds into the semifinal, Marisa Fahning put Virginia in front with her second goal of the season. The Cavaliers held the 1-0 lead until the closing moments of the first half, when Boston College’s Klara Mueffelmann scored the equalizer for her third goal of the tournament.
The teams remained deadlocked at 1-1 throughout the second half. The teams’ goalkeepers combined for eight saves in regulation, setting the stage for another defensive battle in overtime.
In the 64th minute, Boyle redirected a ball from Mueffelmann into the open cage, sending Boston College to the championship match for the second time in three seasons.
With neither Boston College nor Syracuse having won an ACC Field Hockey Championship, Friday’s final will guarantee a first-time champion. The teams will meet at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, November 6, on ACC Network.