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Midway through the 2021 season, No. 2 Syracuse sits at 6-1 with its only defeat coming in a thrashing at the hands of No. 1 North Carolina on Saturday. All-American Emily Hawryschuk suffered a season-ending ACL injury one game into the season, but the Orange have since won five of their last six games.

Head coach Gary Gait’s team has notched double-digit wins over then-No. 5 Loyola, then-No. 5 Stony Brook and then-No. 11 Duke. SU added a sweep in a two-game series over No. 4 Notre Dame, too. 

In the remaining seven games of the regular season, the Orange are scheduled to play five more games against ranked opponents — two against Boston College, two against Louisville and one against Virginia. We asked our beat writers what they think about the first half of Syracuse’s season and what to expect in the second half: 

Considering your preseason expectations, has Syracuse underwhelmed or overwhelmed, and why? 

Skyler Rivera: Syracuse exceeded my preseason expectations. No one could have foreseen Hawryschuk’s ACL tear, but Syracuse has proved they have depth in the scoring department. Without Hawryschuk, the Orange have defeated four top-25 teams, only dropping their most recent game to No. 1 North Carolina. Emma Ward proved a pleasant surprise, entering in Hawryschuk’s absence and notching nine goals in six games. The Orange have come back from halftime deficits, too. Also, the Orange have proved that being down at half doesn’t scare them. Against Virginia Tech and against Notre Dame twice, SU made second-half adjustments and mounted a comeback in all three scenarios. The Orange met my preseason expectations but went the extra mile after Hawryschuk was sidelined to exceed them.

Gaurav Shetty: Syracuse has done about as well as many of us expected. The Orange are one of the top three teams in the nation and seem to have picked up where they left off before the pandemic prematurely ended last season. However, to really answer this question, you have to split it in two parts. In the preseason, Hawryschuk was nailed in as Syracuse’s top scorer and a first-team All-American. But with her torn ACL, Syracuse’s expectations shifted a little. Without Hawryschuk, Syracuse has exceeded my expectations, especially in impressive back-to-back wins against Notre Dame. In the context of the whole season, Syracuse is right where we thought they would be and are doing so with a significant disadvantage.

Anish Vasudevan: Syracuse has definitely met all expectations this season, even with losing Hawryschuk. Gait said that even though the Orange were able to return 10 seniors, losing one like Hawryschuk isn’t as big of a setback because of the amount of young players also now contributing to their offense. Ward is one of those examples, as she’s stepped into Hawryschuk’s spot on the attack and is still playing exceptionally well. Ward already has a five point game in Syracuse’s win over then-No. 11 Duke and has scored at least three points in four games this year. Despite losing Hawryschuk, the Orange still have a shot at winning the national championship. 

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More coverage on the 2021 women’s lacrosse season:

• No. 2 Syracuse falls to No. 1 UNC, 17-6, for 1st loss of season
• 5 seasons in, Asa Goldstock keeps improving through mid-game adjustments
• After 4 knee injuries, Morgan Alexander emerges as leader of ACL community
• No. 2 SU remains undefeated in ‘1st real challenge’ with 18-14 win over No. 4 UND

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In their remaining seven games, do you think the Orange will win out? If they were to lose, who do you think they’ll lose to and why?

Rivera: Syracuse will win out in its seven remaining games. Their schedule consists of No. 5 Boston College, No. 7 Virginia, No. 18 Louisville, along with Georgetown and Albany. Like my beat partners said below, Syracuse’s doubleheader against Boston College will be the toughest opponent the Orange will face in the remainder of its season. The Eagles scored nine goals against UNC — three more goals than SU — but similar to Syracuse, UNC was the Eagles only loss of the season. While Boston College holds steady at 8-1, it has played lower ranked and unranked opponents, while the Orange have faced five top-25 opponents, coming out on top in all but one. If anything, Boston College will be Syracuse’s toughest opponent the remainder of the season. The game will be similar to the Notre Dame doubleheader, with the Orange trailing at half and making an aggressive comeback in the second half.

Shetty: Syracuse should win out with ease in its remaining seven games. The toughest matchup is at the end of the season in a doubleheader with No. 5 Boston College. The Eagles managed to score nine goals against UNC in BC’s only loss of the season. Syracuse managed only six on the Tar Heels. However, the Orange have topped a fourth-ranked Loyola team, a fifth-ranked Stony Brook and fourth-ranked Notre Dame with relative ease, so Boston College should not be too tough a hill to climb. The only other ranked matchups left are against No. 7 Virginia, who lost to BC, and Louisville who is currently all the way down at 18 and falling. But for Syracuse, regular season success won’t mean much as the team is still seeking its first national championship.

Vasudevan: Before the season, I predicted that SU would lose two games, one to North Carolina and another to a different ACC opponent. Given Syracuse’s struggles in the first half of its last three games, it seems as if one game in the remainder of the season might slip away from the Orange. Syracuse’s toughest test will come against now No. 5 Boston College in a doubleheader to end the regular season. The Orange almost dropped their second game in their doubleheader against Notre Dame, and they may not be as lucky against the Eagles.

Syracuse’s 17-6 blowout loss against No. 1 North Carolina seemed to be telling of the true caliber of the Tar Heels, and the gap between No. 1 and the rest of the pack. Given another chance at UNC in the postseason, do you think the result would be the same for SU? 

Rivera: North Carolina flaunted its dominance on the field with its 17-6 blowout win over Syracuse. And yes, it shows how wide the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 seems to be. The Orange will see the same result in the postseason unless there’s a major change in the way the team runs — both offensively and defensively. The Tar Heels exploited the Orange defense, finding holes in the zone and being one step ahead. They also prevented Syracuse’s hot shooters from warming up, shutting down the Orange’s 4-1 run in the first half and limiting Syracuse to only six goals over 60 minutes. Like Gaurav said, Katie Hoeg and Jamie Ortega dominate the field as second and first respectively in career points in UNC history. And while Syracuse has offensive depth through Megan Carney, Meaghan Tyrell, Sam Swart and Ward, it’s not enough to overpower Hoeg and Ortega. The Orange will need to make extreme changes if they want to defeat North Carolina in the postseason. This past weekend was just a preview of what the Tar Heels can do.

Shetty: As tough as it may be for the Orange to accept, the end result would be quite similar if Syracuse and UNC met again. It may not be another blowout — Syracuse won’t be off the scoresheet for 50 minutes again — but in the end, UNC would win. It’s tough to beat a team when two of their players, Hoeg and Ortega, are first and second in points all-time in school history. To make matters worse, Syracuse doesn’t have its version or Hoeg or Ortega after losing Hawryschuk for the season. In any other season, this Syracuse team could’ve been the best in the nation, but the Orange are competing with a golden era down in Chapel Hill, and that will prove to be unbeatable.

Vasudevan: The result would be the same against the Tar Heels unless the Orange completely change their gameplan on offense and figure out how to stop UNC’s attack. Syracuse needs to make sure that there are no soft spots in its zone because North Carolina took advantage of those a lot in its game. The Orange need to figure out how to stop the Tar Heels back to front approach on offense by positioning behind the net. 

Syracuse lost its best player in All-American attack Emily Hawryschuk. Since her injury, have the Orange successfully replaced her on all parts of the field (goal scoring, assists, draw controls, etc.)?

Rivera: Syracuse successfully replaced Hawryschuk on all areas of the field — and its 6-1 record reflects its success. In the draw, Katelyn Mashewske has risen to the challenge, taking control of the draw spot and adding a season-high 13 draw controls to her resume. Ward has seven assists this season, passing to hot goal scorers Carney and Meaghan Tyrrell, who have a combined 47 goals this season. The performances of Mashewske, Ward, Carney, Tyrrell and others like Swart and Sierra Cockerille have fully replaced the talents of Hawryschuk. While Syracuse lost Hawryschuk for the season, the Orange didn’t skip a beat, winning five straight games and taking on No. 1 North Carolina. Syracuse’s roster is deep, and the right people have stepped up at just the right time.

Shetty: From a purely statistical standpoint, Syracuse has done a great job of replacing Hawryschuk. In goalscoring, Carney and Tyrrell have both taken over as the primary options in the Syracuse offense. The two pace the team with 23 and 24 goals, respectively, and have scored in every game so far. Cockerille has been more involved from the midfield and already has 12 assists this season. Ward provides a new dimension in attack and already has 16 points. The draw is where Syracuse has replaced Hawryschuk the best. Mashewske stepped into the top draw spot this season and posted 25 draw controls in the two game series against Notre Dame.

Vasudevan: Ward has been the biggest X-factor this season without Hawryschuk on the field. Ward’s biggest skill is not her ability to score, but that she can pass, too. Ward has seven assists this season. Against Notre Dame, Syracuse needed a key score to break a 7-7 tie, and Ward’s passing abilities delivered. Instead of taking the shot herself, she faked and passed to Carney at the crease for a goal. Now, if Hawryschuk returns next season, it’s going to be interesting to see how Ward and Hawryschuk perform together in the lineup.

Anything short of the national title game would likely be disappointing for SU at this point. What’s the biggest thing that could cause the Orange to come up short of that? 

Rivera: Defensive flaws in the first half may come back to hurt Syracuse. In two of the three games they entered half down or tied, the Orange were able to come back, but that may not happen every time. If the Orange truly are a national championship caliber team, they need to recognize their flaws in the defense and shut down opponents offensive chances early. The Boston College doubleheader has the possibility to expose those flaws in Syracuse’s defense, but it’s the final series of the regular season, so the Orange have time to work it out before the Eagles come to town.

Shetty: More injuries certainly would not help the Orange. Having already lost Hawryschuk and Vanessa Costantino for the season, the Orange cannot afford any more injuries. Syracuse does have strength in depth, but against North Carolina, we saw for the first time all year the impact of losing Hawryschuk. Syracuse scored just two goals in 50 minutes. Last year in a comeback attempt against Stony Brook, Hawryschuk scored four goals in seven minutes. That lack of offensive leadership and firepower will cause SU to enter next season still in search of its first national championship.

Vasudevan: Like Skyler said, the biggest thing that would hurt Syracuse is its defensive issues in the first half. While goalie Asa Goldstock’s mid-game adjustments allow her to improve in the second half, the rest of Syracuse’s defense needs to as well. Against high-octane offenses like North Carolina, the Orange can’t have any holes in their zone defense. The saying “defense wins championships” might ring true for Syracuse. 

Published on April 4, 2021 at 11:05 pm