Sergio Salcido netted a hat trick, and Syracuse scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter and overtime to win another one-goal game, squeaking out a 12-11 win at Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon.
Though Syracuse has played in eight one-goal games this season, it didn’t appear that it would be involved in another after William Perry’s man-up goal with 5:26 left in the third quarter gave the Tar Heels a 10-5 lead.
But Nate Solomon’s unassisted goal less than a minute later proved to be the impetus for seven of the next eight goals as the Orange improved to 10-1 on the season, and a perfect 4-0 in conference play.
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The win also clinched the ACC regular season title for the Orange, who will retain the No. 1 ranking heading into next week. The previous six No. 1 teams held the ranking for only a week.
Ben Williams continued his improved play, going 15-25 at the X. He won a faceoff with under two minutes left to set up the equalizer by Paolo Ciferri with 1:19 to go. In overtime, Williams again won a critical faceoff, this time setting up Sergio Salcido for the game-winner.
Luke Goldstock led UNC with a hat trick, while SU’s Stephen Rehfuss tied his career-high with four points on two goals and two assists.
Syracuse returns to action next Saturday against Binghamton at the Carrier Dome for a 2 p.m. start. The game will be televised on the ACC Network Extra, and it will be Senior Day.
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