How do you follow up a successful season debut against a ranked opponent? You immediately get ready for your next game, of course.
No. 3 Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse, which took down No. 13 Stanford on Friday night in the Carrier Dome, has a respite of fewer than 48 hours between the final whistle against the Cardinal and the opening draw against Binghamton on Sunday afternoon.
“This opening weekend is [a] great test for us,” rookie head coach Kayla Treanor said. “It’s similar to Final Four weekend, a Friday, Sunday game.”
The win against Stanford was emotionally charged for the Orange in many ways. It was Treanor’s first win as a collegiate head coach, a return to action for Megan Carney and Emily Hawryschuck after 2021 ACL tears, and a six-goal outburst for Meaghan Tyrrell, just one off the senior’s career-high.
“Ever since Coach Kayla came to Syracuse, that’s been on our minds, like, get her first win as a head coach,” Tyrrell said. “I would hope she’d remember her first win.”
Highlights from the W against Stanford 🍊 pic.twitter.com/6y0FSXPOgt
— Syracuse Women's Lacrosse (@CuseWLAX) February 12, 2022
But the focus must quickly shift to taking care of business against a Binghamton team that the Orange should handle comfortably, at least on paper.
The Bearcats are coming off a 3-5 season, in which they went winless against teams from outside New England. Their only common opponent with Syracuse from last season was UAlbany, who took two games from Binghamton by a combined eighteen goals. The Orange took care of UAlbany 16-6 on April 13.
However, as Treanor and her players know, each game you play as a top-five team comes with a target on your back—particularly against a team like Binghamton, whose entire season outlook would change with a win Sunday. It’s a mismatch in theory, but the Orange still have to show up and play the game.
“Right now, the girls just have to rest, recover, and we’ll get after it with our game plan and film,” Treanor said. “We’re excited to play another game on Sunday.”
This game is the third in a busy opening weekend at the Dome., as the men’s team demolished Holy Cross 28-5 on Saturday. The opening draw will be at 1 p.m.