#9 Orange Falter in Home Finale

Friday, October 17

Syracuse, N.Y.

3 p.m.

Syracuse University

(10-4, 2-3)

North Carolina

(13-1, 6-1)

North Carolina

Syracuse

10/17/2025 5:52:00 PM | Field Hockey

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Ninth-ranked Syracuse University field hockey held a two-goal lead at halftime, but No. 2 North Carolina surged past the Orange for a 4-3 final score Friday night at J.S. Coyne Stadium.

Syracuse (10-4, 2-3 ACC) saw three different players find the back of the net. Bo van Kempen, Hattie Madden, and Lieke Leeggangers all scored for the Orange. Pati Strunk and Lana Hamilton assisted on van Kempen's goal, while Aubrey Turner set up Hattie Madden's tally, her fifth of the season. Aiden Drabick recorded an assist on Leeggangers' goal. Syracuse goalies, Jessie Eiselin and Tane King, combined for 11 saves on the night.

North Carolina (13-1, 6-1 ACC) overcame a two-goal deficit to hand the Orange their fourth loss of the season. Charley Bruder tallied three goals for the Tar Heels, scoring in the first, third, and fourth quarters. Dani Mendez added a goal and two assists, while Sanne Hak and Ryleigh Heck each contributed one assist. North Carolina's goalkeeper, Merritt Skubisz and Katie Wimmer, made five saves in the victory.

How it Happened

The Tar Heels struck first, with Bruder converting just 2:32 into the contest. Hak and Mendez both assisted on the opening goal, giving North Carolina an early 1-0 advantage.
Syracuse responded in the second quarter with three unanswered goals to seize control. Van Kempen equalized in the 8th minute on a penalty corner, with Strunk and Hamilton providing the assists.
Four minutes later, Hattie Madden gave the Orange their first lead of the night at 2-1 when she finished off a Turner feed at the 12:26 mark. Leeggangers extended Syracuse's advantage to 3-1 in the 19th minute with help from Drabick, sending the teams to halftime with the Orange firmly in control at 3-1.
The third quarter belonged to North Carolina. Bruder netted her second goal of the game at 34:29, cutting the deficit to 3-2 with Heck earning the assist. The Tar Heels kept pressing, and King made four saves in the period to preserve the one-goal lead heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter proved decisive as North Carolina completed the rally. Mendez, who had assisted on the game's first goal, became a scorer herself at 46:16. Bruder set up Mendez for his seventh goal of the season, knotting the score at 3-3 with less than 14 minutes remaining.
Bruder completed her hat trick with an unassisted goal with just 19 seconds left in regulation, stunning the home crowd and securing the 4-3 victory. The goal was Bruder's 10th of the season.
The Orange goalies combined for 11 saves compared to just five for North Carolina. However, the Tar Heels dominated the shot count 22-11 and held a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners. North Carolina put 15 shots on goal while Syracuse managed eight.

Up Next for Syracuse
Syracuse heads for Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts next Friday for a showdown at Boston College. Game time in Boston is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.