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Following a close 14-12 defeat to No. 1 North Carolina, Syracuse remained at No. 4 in the weekly Inside Lacrosse and Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll. For the third consecutive week, the Orange rank behind the top-ranked Tar Heels, No. 2 Boston College and No. 3 Northwestern.

On Saturday against UNC, over 2,900 fans attended, which marked the highest single-game attendance in SU program history. Both teams went back and forth in the first half, with neither team developing a lead of more than one goal as the teams entered halftime tied at seven. Just before the break, Syracuse attack Megan Carney limped off the field and didn’t return to the game with a knee injury, something that kept her sidelined in the Orange’s wins over Pittsburgh and then-No. 6 Loyola.

Syracuse was also without Emma Tyrrell, who suffered a lower-body injury last week and is out for the season. In the third quarter, after Olivia Adamson gave SU an 8-7 lead, the Tar Heels responded with a 4-0 run led by two goals from Jamie Ortega and gave UNC a 11-8 lead. Ortega finished with a game-high five goals.

With three minutes to go in the game, Orange midfielder Natalie Smith, who tied a career-high three points, scored to cut the deficit to 13-12, but after UNC secured the subsequent draw control, Ortega scored her 46th goal of the season to secure the win for the Tar Heels. The defeat marked the Orange’s first Atlantic Coast Conference loss on the season.

On Tuesday, the Orange travel to Ithaca to face unranked Cornell for a quick one-game road trip before returning to Syracuse on Saturday to face Louisville. The Orange haven’t lost to the Big Red since 2006.