Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

One day prior to Syracuse’s NCAA quarterfinals matchup with Yale, SU head coach Kayla Treanor highlighted the meaning of still being alive in mid-May.

“All year, we’ve been talking about being in this position that we’re in right now,” Treanor said. “And wanting to win and wanting to get back to the Final Four and ultimately winning a national championship.”

With their season — and a trip to the Final Four — on the line, the Orange quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led by as much as seven in the first half. Six different players registered SU’s first six goals before its two stars Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward took over. The duo combined for 16 points — their most combined playing together — to help the Orange pull away.

Never trailing in the contest, No. 3 seed Syracuse (16-5, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated No. 6 seed Yale (17-3, 7-0 Ivy League) 19-9, advancing to the Final Four for the second consecutive year. The win sealed consecutive national semifinals for the first time since the Orange advanced five years in a row from 2012-16.

“This is a destination that we wanted to be all year and we’re finally here,” Treanor said postgame. “And they’ve (Syracuse) worked so hard all year, to be in this position and to have this opportunity.”

Early on, Syracuse’s attack got going against the stout Yale defense through a plethora of options. The Bulldogs held the Orange out from producing a shot attempt for more than half the shot clock on their opening possession, forcing a tipped pass at X. Though SU recovered and Ward made Yale pay, emerging from X and beating Cami Donadio in net just over a minute into the game.

“(Scoring fast) is just a part of our identity. We want to play fast. We want to play and have fun. We want to play with that swagger,” Ward said postgame.

Following a caused turnover by Coco Vandiver, Olivia Adamson forced a foul on a quick SU transition. She capitalized to double the lead before Tyrrell also scored on a free position at the 10:52 mark of the opening frame to make it 3-0 under five minutes in. Coming into the contest Yale’s defense allowed just 7.79 goals per game — the second-best mark in the nation, but the Orange exploited it early on.

Despite Kate Mashewske starting with two false starts on the first five battles, SU continued to garner possessions by causing turnovers. Yale leading goal scorer Jenna Collignon found the back of the net on a free-position goal but her first tally came after a goal from Savannah Sweitzer on a quick inside feed from Ward.

Before the end of the first quarter, Joely Caramelli scored on a bounce shot, pushing SU’s lead to four and marking Syracuse’s fifth goal-scorer of the game.

“We played in our zone offense really well,” Ward said. “We moved the ball well, and then we just found the opportunities, whether it was finishing or finding the cutters.”

As Collignon led the attack for the Bulldogs, she also held her ground in the draw circle. Collignon served as Yale’s draw control specialist, battling with Mashewske throughout the contest — who was coming off a program-record 20 draw controls in the NCAA second round versus Stony Brook. Collignon played a physical style, forcing Mashewske to use her wings more often than usual.

To open the second frame, Smith won the draw control in a scrum that traveled over 20 yards to Syracuse’s offensive side. After working the ball around, Smith found it back and finished for SU’s sixth goal scorer.

The Orange attack spread its options and showed off its varying weapons but still leading goal scorer Emma Tyrrell was above the rest. Entering the contest, Tyrrell tallied 63 goals and 82 points on the season. Against Stony Brook, she totaled five goals and one assist and Thursday was no different.

Following Smith’s goal to open the second quarter, Tyrrell found the back of the net twice, ballooning Syracuse’s lead to seven. On the second, Tyrrell emerged along the perimeter of the 12 meter and fired a shot into the top right corner. Tyrrell finished with a game-high seven goals and nine points.

Meanwhile, Ward assisted on three goals in the second half, including two to Tyrrell.

While Syracuse’s attack continued its firepower, it also took advantage of Yale’s lack of discipline. The Bulldogs committed four yellow cards 21 minutes into the game with Fallon Vaughn — the unanimous Ivy League Midfielder of the Year — exiting the game before the end of the first quarter after committing two yellow card penalties.

Despite trailing 8-1, the Bulldogs attack picked up momentum to end the first half. Taylor Everson found the back of the net twice with a goal from Karina Herrera sandwiched in between. Adamson netted her second goal of the game in the sequence as well to keep SU’s lead comfortable.

Mashewske’s shaky first quarter turned in the second as she helped SU win five of the first six. She got a lot of help from her unit as Natalie Smith and Kaci Benoit each recorded draw controls. The 5-3 draw advantage in the frame helped Syracuse lead 9-4 at halftime. Mashewske finished the game with 15 draws while Smith tied a season high with five.

The second half for SU started just as the first did. Ward emerged from X and tip-toed the crease, beating Donadio high again. Yale answered with goals from Herrera and Collignon.

The Yale defense — which entered ranked seventh in efficiency according to Lacrosse Reference — shut out the Orange for just under 10 minutes, but Tyrrell broke the drought with 5:23 to play in the third. She found the back of the net again less than two minutes later, just barely beating the shot clock.

The Bulldogs attempted to claw back throughout the half with scattered goals but SU’s early attack and the Emmas’ continued prestige were too much to overcome as the Orange killed the rest of the clock to advance to their 10th championship weekend.

“We’re ready to play anybody,” Ward said. “You want to win a national championship, you have to play everybody and beat everybody. So whoever we get to play, we’re excited to play.”

Published on May 16, 2024 at 5:15 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky