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Against Cornell Tuesday, Syracuse used a 11-goal first half en route to a 17-4 victory. It marked SU’s seventh-straight victory, as it closed out nonconference play with a 3-3 record.

On Saturday versus Pittsburgh, the Orange entered with a perfect record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. To make sure their conference record remained unblemished, the Orange got out to 7-1 start in the first fifteen minutes, behind three goals each by Emma Tyrrell and Payton Rowley. SU carried its fast start into the second quarter, completing a 5-0 frame.

Boosted by a 12-goal first half, No. 3 Syracuse (11-3, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated Pittsburgh (4-10, 0-7 ACC) 16-7 at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. The win marked
SU’s eighth straight win and continued its streak of scoring at least 15 goals. Syracuse never trailed and despite a late surge by the Panthers, its fast start helped it stay unbeaten in conference play. Tyrrell led the Orange with seven points — one of three SU players to record a hat trick.

It took less than two minutes for the Orange to score as Natalie Smith bounced a shot past Pittsburgh goalie Audrey Moran on a free position shot at the 13:10 mark of the first quarter. With 10:28 left in the quarter, Tyrrell found Rowley on the crease to double SU’s lead.

SU won the next draw, but a turnover by Kate Mashewske handed the ball back to the Panthers, who netted their first goal just 39 seconds later to cut the SU lead to 2-1.

Syracuse created opportunities to score through its aggressive play on the offensive end, drawing fouls inside the eight-meter. SU converted two more times on free position in the first quarter behind goals from Rowley and Tyrrell.

Mashewske secured two straight draws midway through the first quarter, both of which led to Tyrrell goals, increasing SU’s lead to 5-1 at the 1:35 mark. After Tyrrell’s second goal, Pittsburgh ended SU’s run in the circle, but a turnover by Ava Washington set Maddy Baxter off in transition. Baxter passed the ball to Ward, who found Rowley for her third goal of the game and made it 6-1.

“We were looking for a lot of assisted goals, that was how we were going to dominate on offense and get through the defense,” Rowley said. “We just had great chemistry and it was just smooth.”

Tyrrell joined Rowley in scoring a first quarter hat trick, netting a goal with 24 seconds left in the quarter, completing a 7-1 first quarter. The Panthers eight first quarter turnovers allowed the Orange to maintain possession for a majority of the quarter, recording 10 shots on goal compared to Pittsburgh’s three.

In the first seven minutes of the second quarter, the Orange increased their lead to 10-1. Syracuse continued to dominate the circle, winning the first three draws of the quarter leading to three goals, including two more by Smith – becoming the third Syracuse player to register three goals.

“(Seeing offensive success) gives me a bunch of confidence because I really trust everyone on the field realistically, and having that many options on the field is really detrimental to other times,” Tyrrell said.

After Olivia Adamson scored at the 8:42 mark, increasing the SU lead to nine, Pittsburgh replaced Moran with sophomore Molly Cain in net. Cain fended off the first two shots she faced, but additional fouls on Pittsburgh led to two free position goals by SU in the final six minutes of the second quarter.

Behind 10 combined goals from Tyrrell, Rowley and Smith, the Orange led 12-1 at the break. SU head coach Kayla Treanor credited Syracuse’s 12-goal first half to its offensive execution on its side of the ball.

In the first half, Syracuse goalie Delaney Sweitzer contained the Panthers offense, registering three saves on four shots. But entering the second half with the Orange leading by 11, Treanor replaced Sweitzer with Daniella Guyette. At the 13:34 mark of the third quarter, the Panthers ended their over 25-minute scoring drought as Kaitlyn Giandonato made it 12-2.

After its 10-0 run was snapped by the goal, Tyrrell sparked three straight goals for Syracuse midway through the third quarter. Rowley connected with Tyrrell at the 10:11 mark before Tyrrell scored on a free position shot. The two additional scores helped Tyrrell reach six scores in the contest to match a season-high, marking her fourth straight game with four or more goals.

With five minutes left in the third, Meghan Rode scored on a bouncer, leading SU to a 15-2 lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the first three quarters, Syracuse led draw controls 15-5 leading to its 21-5 shots on goal advantage.

Jenna Hendrickson, the Panthers leading goal scorer entering the contest, did not find the back of the net until the 12:27 mark of the fourth quarter. The score by Hendrickson was the first of three straight by the Panthers in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh started to find its offensive rhythm in the fourth, winning three of the first four draw controls, but freshman Joely Caramelli ended the run to make it 16-5 with eight minutes left.

The Panthers responded with a flurry of shots as Guyette stopped a shot and watched one hit off the post before Hendrickson tallied her second goal of the game at the 4:06 mark. A late goal by Washington marked the end of a 5-1 fourth quarter by Pittsburgh, but it was not enough to overcome Syracuse’s 12-goal first half.

“We’re the only team left in our conference that has a chance to be undefeated in our conference,” Treanor said. “We just want to be playing our best lacrosse right now.”

Published on April 6, 2024 at 6:33 pm

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