Syracuse trailed 10-5 late in the third quarter before coming back to win 12-11 in overtime.
Syracuse fans, breathe a sigh of relief. Again.
No. 1 Syracuse erased a five-goal deficit and topped No. 17 North Carolina 12-11 in overtime Saturday afternoon thanks to Sergio Salcido's game-winner at the 2:42 mark in the extra frame. That was the final blow in a 7-2 Orange run that started with 4:43 left in regulation.
The victory was Syracuse's fourth four-goal comeback of the season and moves the Orange to 7-1 in one-goal games. Syracuse finishes its ACC schedule 4-0, with all four wins coming by a single score. The Orange clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the 2017 ACC tournament.
SERGIO! Salcido scores the OT game-winner!
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAA_Lax) April 15, 2017
No. 1 Syracuse escapes North Carolina in final regular season game at Fetzer Field. #NCAALax pic.twitter.com/jajQlStqXT
Syracuse started off hot with four of the first five goals in the opening quarter. The Tar Heels responded on a 9-1 run to open up a 10-5 lead with 5:26 remaining in the third frame. The Orange went roughly 20 minutes without scoring during this stretch.
But Nate Solomon got Syracuse going again with his 22nd goal of the season just under the five-minute mark in the third. The Orange scored once more that frame and outscored UNC 4-1 in the fourth to erase the deficit. Paolo Ciferri's breakaway goal with 1:19 remaining tied it at 11-11 and quieted the Chapel Hill crowd.
Salcido's three goals for the day were a team-high while Ciferri, Nick Mariano and Stephen Rehfuss added a pair each.
With the comeback, Syracuse snapped a six-week streak of No. 1-ranked teams losing. The Orange were annointed the top team in the Inside Lacrosse poll on Monday after Penn State lost to Maryland last weekend.
