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In each of SU’s first two Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament contests, it had nine different goal scorers, propelling it to win by a combined 24 goals. Its offense, led by Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward’s 13 combined goals, was firing on all cylinders. But, when it faced Boston College in the ACC Championship, Syracuse’s offense came to a screeching halt.

After being tied 7-7 at halftime, the Orange scored just one goal during the final 30 minutes. SU turned the ball over nine times and tallied just seven shots in the second half, as its inability to finish the game resulted in a 15-8 loss to the Eagles. Following the loss, Syracuse had nearly two weeks to find its offensive rhythm again ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

Matching up against Stony Brook presented potential challenges for SU, as the Seawolves entered the contest ranked fourth in the nation in defensive efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference. But, unlike the second half versus Boston College, Syracuse found momentum on offense to lead 11-6 at halftime, propelling it to advance to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Here are some observations from No. 3 seed Syracuse’s (15-5, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 15-10 win over Stony Brook (18-3, 8-0 Coastal Athletic Association) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament:

SU’s free-position success

Less than a minute into the game, Olivia Adamson caught a pass inside the 12-meter and drew a foul. Adamson was awarded a free-position shot and bounced it past Seawolves goalie Emily Manning to give SU an early 1-0 lead.

Midway through the first quarter, with Syracuse leading 3-2, Tyrrell penetrated the Seawolves defense and was swarmed before getting fouled. At the whistle, Tyrrell burst toward the goal and bounced it off both pipes before it settled in the net to give SU its second free-position score in three attempts. The score gave the Orange a 4-2 lead at the 7:08 mark of the first quarter.

SU won the ensuing draw and worked the ball to Natalie Smith, guarded by Avery Hines. Like the possession prior, Hines was called for a foul to set up Smith for an 8-meter chance. Smith converted, marking the third free-position goal by SU in the first quarter. The Orange’s early free-position success allowed them to jump out to a 6-2 first-quarter lead.

Syracuse’s stifling defense

Just 32 seconds into the game, Bianca Chevarie forced the first turnover of the game, stepping in front of a pass by Alex Finn. SU took the ball down to the other end to gain an early 1-0 lead. Two possessions later, Coco Vandiver took the ball away from Tewaaraton finalist Ellie Masera, which led to SU’s third goal less than a minute later.

Masera was granted a free-position shot with 25 seconds left in the first quarter and Delaney Sweitzer saved the shot to keep SU ahead 6-2 at the end of the first quarter. Masera entered the contest leading the nation in points but through 15 minutes, she was held to just one point.

Kailyn Hart scored the only two goals for the Seawolves in the first quarter and was looking for her third. Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Sweitzer made another stop, denying Hart. Stony Brook found momentum early in the second quarter, scoring two quick goals. As it looked for a third straight score, Hallie Simkins forced a turnover on Masera. Joely Caramelli scooped up the ball and Adamson scored on the other end to stop the run.

The Seawolves never strung together more than a two-goal run in the first half. Meanwhile, Syracuse turned its defense into offense and a late 4-0 second-quarter run allowed the Orange to enter halftime ahead 11-6.

Scoring depth shines

During the first five minutes of the game, SU jumped to a 3-1 lead behind goals from three different players. Adamson opened the scoring before Tyrrell recorded her first goal of the game at the 12:20 mark. Nearly two minutes later, Tyrrell dished the ball to Ward to give SU a 3-1 lead.

Midway through the first quarter, SU forced fouls inside the 12-meter to get free-position shots. Smith converted her chance at the 6:16 mark. Then, at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter, Emma Muchnick became the fifth goal scorer for SU.

After a slow start on offense in the second quarter, the Orange surged. After a forced turnover by Vandiver, the offense set up in the Stony Brook zone quickly before Adamson delivered a pass to Tyrrell for her third goal of the game. Just 31 seconds later, Gracie Britton, who entered with four goals on the season, found the back of the net to give SU a 9-5 lead.

Kate Mashewske won the ensuing draw and Maddy Baxter scored 44 seconds later. Stony Brook tried to slow down the potent SU attack as it was called for two fouls on the next SU possession. But, the Seawolves’ aggressiveness came back to hurt them as Caramelli converted a free-position shot at the 3:07 mark of the second quarter. The score gave SU an 11-5 lead and marked the eighth different goal scorer for Syracuse.

Mashewske’s draw dominance

Syracuse got out to an 11-6 lead at halftime, receiving constant possessions after draw-circle wins by Mashewske. The graduate student recorded 15 draw controls in the first 30 minutes, leading SU to a 16-3 advantage in the circle. The Seawolves elected to use three different players to give Mashewske unique looks but she could not be stopped.

Early in the third quarter, Mashewske won two draws, reaching 17 in the contest, one shy of her season-high 18 against Virginia on March 23.

Entering the fourth quarter, SU led 13-8, and Mashewske won four straight draw controls in the quarter to help close out the victory. The late stretch included Mashewske tallying her 20th of the game to set a new SU program record for draw control wins in a single contest.

Mashewske’s dominance led SU to a 22-7 advantage in the circle, a complete difference from when Syracuse lost the battle 15-14 to Stony Brook during the two teams’ previous matchup on March 5.

Published on May 12, 2024 at 5:01 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32