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Following wins over Louisville and Virginia, Syracuse made it to the ACC Tournament title game for the first time under Kayla Treanor. After starting conference play 8-0, the Orange earned their first outright ACC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

Looking to win its first ACC Tournament since 2015, Syracuse faces Boston College. On April 18, BC handed SU a regular-season finale loss for the second straight year. Last year, the Eagles snapped Syracuse’s undefeated regular season. This year, they snapped its perfect conference record. BC’s 11-10 overtime win marked its fifth straight win over the Orange, including victories in the 2021 National Championship, the 2022 regular season and the 2023 NCAA final four.

Here’s everything to know about No. 3 Boston College (15-3, 7-2 ACC) before it faces No. 4 Syracuse (14-4, 8-1 ACC) in the ACC Tournament title:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 17-12.

Last time they played…

Looking to retain a perfect conference record to cap off its regular season, Syracuse faced Boston College on the road. SU commanded a 5-3 halftime lead, but BC forced overtime by winning the second half 7-5.

The Orange won the opening draw control in overtime, yet a shot from Smith was fended off by Boston College goalie Shea Dolce. The Eagles capitalized on the other end as Cassidy Weeks scored the game-winning goal. The win marked BC’s third straight win over SU by exactly one goal.

The Eagles report

The reigning ACC Tournament champions blew out No. 6 seed Duke in the quarterfinals before defeating No. 2 seed Notre Dame 9-7 to book a trip back to the title game. The Eagles’ win over ND avenged their 15-14 loss from March 16.

BC’s only other conference loss came on April 13 against Virginia — which the Orange just dismantled. Additionally, like Syracuse, Boston College also fell to No. 1 Northwestern on Feb. 29. BC’s three losses have been a combined five goals.

Otherwise, Boston College has been one of the most dominant teams in Division I. The addition of Virginia transfer Rachel Clark (team-high 77 points) propelled the Eagles to the second-best offensive efficiency in the country (41.4%), per Lacrosse Reference. BC is just as stout defensively, as its 23.3% defensive efficiency is No. 6 in the country.

Boston College’s weak point is its draw control unit. Though it still sits No. 13 on Lacrosse Reference’s adjusted draw control percentage (63.0%) leaderboard, which is nine spots behind Syracuse’s 67.9% clip.

How Syracuse beats Boston College

The Orange have consistently been among the most elite offenses in the country since Treanor took over as the program’s head coach in 2022, but BC’s player-to-player defense has given them fits.

Tyrrell, SU’s leading scorer, was silenced to just one point as Syracuse mustered its second-lowest scoring total of the season on March 18. Throughout its five-game losing streak to the Eagles, SU averages just 11 goals per game. For comparison, the Orange have averaged 17.33 goals per game in the 2024 season.

Though as seen over its two ACC Tournament games thus far, Syracuse’s offense is well-equipped to beat any team on any given day. The championship game will test whether its offense can defeat elite teams on one of the highest stages.

Stat to know: 8.82

While Boston College is among the best defensive teams, its 8.82 caused turnovers per game rank No. 39 in D-I. On April 18, the Orange turned the ball over 15 times versus BC — nearly double what it usually causes.

If Syracuse moves the ball as effectively as it has over its last two games, the game will come down to whether the attack can get the better of the Eagles’ back line.

Player to watch: Rachel Clark, attack, No. 1

After dominating at Virginia for two seasons, Clark transferred to Boston College ahead of the 2024 season. The 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year and 2023 First Team All-ACC selection has transitioned seamlessly to BC, leading the Eagles in goals (63) and points (77). Against the Orange on April 18, she scored three goals and notched one assist.

Published on April 27, 2024 at 9:37 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon