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For the second consecutive season, Syracuse women’s lacrosse earned a first-round bye to open the NCAA Tournament. After a Final Four run in 2023, SU enters the 2024 postseason fresh off its first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in program history.

Following an 8-1 finish in the ACC regular season and two dominant wins to start the conference tournament, the Orange faltered in the ACC Tournament Championship, falling 15-8 to Boston College. But Syracuse still earned the No. 3 overall seed in the national tournament. After a two-week break from game action, SU faces Stony Brook for the second time this season.

With Syracuse on the bye, Stony Brook faced Niagara in the first round at SU Soccer Stadium. The Seawolves decimated the Purple Eagles 19-7, setting up another matchup with the Orange.

Here’s everything you need to know before No. 3 seed Syracuse (14-5, 8-1 ACC) faces Stony Brook (18-2, 8-0 Coastal Athletic Association) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 5-2.

Last time they played…

In a back-and-forth nonconference matchup on March 5, then-No. 5 Syracuse rattled off a 3-0 run in the fourth quarter to take an 11-9 lead with just seven minutes to play. Then-No. 12 Stony Brook answered with three straight goals to take a one-goal lead with 1:08 to go in regulation.

Maddy Baxter tied the game with just 10 seconds to spare to push the game to overtime. Though in the extra period, SU never controlled possession as Ellie Masera won the draw control and scored the game-winner 90 seconds later, handing Syracuse its third loss in six games.

The Seawolves report

In Joe Spallina’s 13th season at the helm, the Seawolves cruised to a second consecutive CAA Championship, going undefeated in conference play and dropping just two nonconference games all season. In ranked games this season, Stony Brook defeated then-No. 5 Syracuse, but fell in back-to-back games to then-No. 15 Johns Hopkins and then-No. 14 Denver.

Masera leads an explosive offense that has multiple dangerous attacking options. The Seawolves lead the country in assists per game with 9.35 in large part due to lead facilitator Alex Finn. In her first season with Stony Brook, she leads the team with 53 assists, dishing out to top weapons like Masera (75 goals), Kailyn Hart (70) and Charlotte Verhulst (41).

Defensively, junior Avery Hines leads the way in caused turnovers with 3.15 per game. Emily Manning has started 13 games in net with a lackluster .394 save percentage. According to Lacrosse Reference, Stony Brook ranks ninth in offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency.

How Syracuse beats Stony Brook

Like most of its games this season, Syracuse advances past Stony Brook by dominating in the draw circle. The Orange are now over 60% in the circle, led by Kate Mashewske.

Stony Brook wins 58% of its draws with Masera collecting a team-high 141. Mashewske can likely get the best of Verhulst in the circle, but it will be on Syracuse’s wing players like Katie Goodale, Natalie Smith and Co. to limit Masera’s impact as much as possible.

If the Orange are able to do so and clear the ball after winning possession, the attack should be able to spread the ball and get past Manning. Keeping Masera in check will help Syracuse advance to the quarterfinals for the fourth season in a row.

Stat to know: 11.50

Ranking third in the nation, Stony Brook turns the ball over just 11.50 times per game. The Seawolves are only behind Hofstra for the best in the nation and are a world above Syracuse’s 52nd ranking with 14.32.

With more possessions, the Seawolves use them to their advantage by averaging more than 25 points per game, leading to winning 18-of-20 games in 2024.

Player to watch: Ellie Masera, midfielder, No. 12

Masera has emerged as a top player in the country in her senior campaign, recently being named to the top five finalists list for the Tewaaraton Award. She’s tallied 114 points and 141 draw controls through 18 games in 2024, including a 10-point effort against Niagara.

Against SU on March 5, Masera’s impact was encapsulated in overtime. The midfielder darted 15 yards across midfield to beat Mashewske to the ball and control possession. Less than two minutes later, Masera dodged inside the 8-meter and beat Delaney Sweitzer to secure the upset win, finishing with four points and nine draw controls in the contest.

Published on May 11, 2024 at 3:54 pm

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