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Syracuse’s lethal offensive duo of Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward began building their chemistry in high school on Long Island.

Tyrrell’s school, Mount Sinai High School, often faced off with Ward’s team at Babylon High School. Though the games often went heavily in Mount Sinai’s favor, according to Ward, the two served as key figures when their schools matched up.

While there was competition on the field, Tyrrell and Ward knew a future together was on the horizon with both already committed to Syracuse. The games were never particularly close, but the two often cracked jokes with each other during the blowouts, forming an early bond.

Sixty-two collegiate games played together later, the tandem leads Syracuse into its third Final Four in the last four years. As the elder statesmen of SU’s offense, Tyrrell (graduate student) and Ward (senior) have taken over in 2024, combining for 170 points to push the Orange back to Memorial Day Weekend. With Tyrrell in her final season and Ward undecided on her future with one more year of eligibility remaining, the two have one last chance at getting Syracuse its first-ever national championship.

“I think this year, more than ever, we’ve had that connection where we feel we’re a step ahead with each other, kind of like in each other’s brains,” Ward said. “We’re able to pull things off that maybe we wouldn’t be able to if it was with somebody else.”

While Tyrrell and Ward established themselves early on with SU, 2024 served as a changing of the guard for Syracuse’s offense. In previous years, Ward and Tyrrell found ways to contribute as secondary scorers, with Tyrrell offering an option in the midfield.

Meanwhile, Tyrrell’s sister, Meaghan, along with fellow attack Megan Carney, formed a deadly duo. Meaghan, Syracuse’s all-time points leader, and Carney, SU’s 2023 goal leader, both graduated following SU’s Final Four loss to Boston College.

With the absence, Tyrrell and Ward were thrust into larger roles.

“They (Tyrrell and Ward) have a lot of experience and high-level experience,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said of Tyrrell and Ward on Feb. 6. “It’s great to have them returning and commanding and owning the offense. They’re very different players too.”

While the two can slice through opposing defenses, they do it in drastically different ways.

Despite starting out as a midfielder who would check back on defense and help in the draw circle, Tyrrell has emerged as an elite goal-scorer.

“(Tyrrell) makes my job really easy,” Ward said. “She catches and finishes the ball unlike anyone I’ve ever played with.”

Ward is quite the opposite. Often perched at X, she uses elite vision and facilitating skills to squeeze passes through small windows to cutters. And if a defender wrongfully decides to give her space behind the cage, Ward isn’t afraid to use her strength to gain positioning and rip one into the net.

Together, the differing play styles create a tandem that often finds each other.

“That’s (differing play styles) something that really kind of goes like yin and yang with each other,” Tyrrell said. “We do opposite roles, but they go well together.”

The Megs left a gap that the Emmas would need to replace if SU wanted to stay in national title contention. Though from the outside it seemed as if the Megs would pass the torch down to Tyrrell and Ward, Carney and Meaghan said it wasn’t like that. Despite the age difference, all four saw themselves on the same level.

“With the age difference, (Ward and Tyrrell) knew that they were going to be there once Meaghan and I left, and they would have to step into that leadership role and sort of take over in terms of leading the offense,” Carney said.

The two found their roles on the team around the same time in 2021. Tyrrell appeared in eight games in 2020 before the season was shut down due to COVID-19. When Ward emerged as a freshman in 2021, the tandem began to find itself for the first time.

“It was kind of like a restart for both of us,” Tyrrell said.

After Carney suffered a season-ending injury, Tyrrell was moved to the attack with Ward. Both excelled right away, combining for 85 goals and 131 points. According to Meaghan, Ward and Tyrrell constantly talked to each other about what happened on the previous play, even if they weren’t directly involved.

In their first season together, Syracuse advanced to the national championship, though it ultimately lost to Boston College.

The following year was quickly marred by injuries. Ward’s season ended in the fall due to a Grade 3 turf toe and a complete rupture of the plantar plate in her right foot. Tyrrell played the first 12 games of the season but tore her ACL. Without the duo, SU fell 15-4 to Northwestern in the NCAA quarterfinals in Treanor’s first year at the helm.

Being out for the majority of the season wasn’t ideal for the pair, but it allowed them to view the game from a different angle while growing their partnership.

“It’s hard going through an injury but having somebody by your side who understands you, knows where you come from, knows what you’ve been through and can help you and guide you through an injury is really special,” Ward said.

Tyrrell and Ward returned from injury in 2023 with one last year with the Megs, and helped create the top attacking unit in the nation. SU averaged more than 16 goals per game while Tyrrell notched 52 goals and Ward tallied 56 assists. They helped the Orange start the season 15-0 and eventually make another Final Four appearance.

Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward strategize between plays in Syracuse’s 16-13 win over Loyola on March 27. The duo combined for 10 goals on the day. Joe Zhao | Video Editor

After falling short of the elusive national championship once again, the 2024 season set up the last opportunity for the Emmas to play together at Syracuse. In the fall, both Tyrrell and Ward underwent procedures to repair meniscus tears, forcing them to miss the entirety of the fall season. Yet, it allowed them to rehab together once again.

“We got a lot closer this fall and we have a really good relationship because of it,” Ward said. “Sometimes the worst things bring out the best and I really think that time together has helped this season.”

The time out together has undoubtedly helped. With Ward and Tyrrell leading the offense, the Orange earned their first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title and the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Through 21 games, Tyrrell leads Syracuse in goals (70) while Ward leads in assists (37).

“Throughout our time here (at Syracuse), we’ve kind of just been bred for this opportunity to show what kind of leaders we can be and how we’re able to run the offense,” Ward said.

There have been games throughout the season where the duo has proven to be prolific, but none stood out more than the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals against Yale. Ward and Tyrrell put on their finest display of their collegiate careers. They combined for 16 points — the most they’ve ever combined for — to help the Orange breeze to a 19-9 win.

“Through so much time playing, it’s just us taking advantage of these moments,” Ward said. “And I think 16 points is incredible, but that’s just what we had to do to be successful.”

Riding high into the Final Four off a great performance versus Yale, the Emmas are now tasked with a daunting task: facing a Boston College team they’ve already dropped two games to in 2024.

In all three years Tyrrell and Ward have been healthy together at Syracuse, the Orange have advanced to Memorial Day Weekend. After years of trials and tribulations, one final trip to Cary, North Carolina, will be their last time playing together for SU and their last chance to finally push Syracuse over the hump.

“Being in the spot that we are right now is something that Emma (Ward) and I specifically were talking about in the fall when we were out together,” Tyrrell said. “This was our goal, to be playing on Memorial Day Weekend.”

Published on May 23, 2024 at 10:21 pm

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