Sunday marks a big day in Syracuse women’s lacrosse history. Former SU star Katie Rowan will represent the first jersey retirement in program history with a pregame ceremony to honor her legacy and career. The current UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse coach is just the second woman in Syracuse history to have her number hanging in the rafters, beside women’s basketball legend Felisha Legette-Jack. Those festivities are only part of the groundbreaking day. There’s also a game to be played, which will go down as the first top-five matchup of the Kayla Treanor coaching era.
‘All in all, the tenure of the first-year head coach has been a success. SU has started its season with back-to-back wins over lesser opponents in number 13 Stanford and unranked Binghamton. The battle between the Orange and Seawolves is just the first major obstacle for this experienced team with new leadership. Although the coach has changed on the Syracuse side, Stony Brook is a familiar opponent.
This is the second season in a row that these two teams square off as members of the top five. Last year, SU emerged victorious with a 16-6 win for its second-straight ranked win behind the five-goal performance of attacker Megan Carney. This veteran presence could become a factor yet again in the 2022 edition of this contest with a little help from her fellow “Meaghan.”
The duo of Carney and Tyrrell has been the much-anticipated duo of the season. The connection between the two was cut short last year because of the ACL injury to the latter attacker. The return has lived up to the hype. The two have combined for 16 goals in the first two games and lead the team in that stat on offense. Most importantly, Carney and Tyrrell have chemistry in the passing game as well. The pair have used its connection to put the ball in the back of the net three times so far and also lead the team in the assists column. Coach Treanor summed up the impact these two players have when working together after the team’s light’s out performance over Binghamton.
“They have a really great connection with each other, which is really hard to stop,” Treanor said.
That boils down to how much these two players have had the opportunity to play with one another. Both Carney and Tyrrell are in their senior seasons and have been playing with one another from the beginning, which means this start to the year isn’t necessarily surprising.
“I love playing with Meg. We’ve built chemistry since freshman year, so it’s four years in the making. It’s nice to see it coming together and we just know where each other is going to be the next pass,” Carney said.
Stony Brook will have its hands full with this combination from Syracuse, especially in its first game of the season. The Orange will need “the Megs” to have a repeat performance from last season, where they scored a combined seven goals in the matchup.
This weekend’s contest will feature a little bit of everything. A remembrance of the past and glimpses of the future. The competition begins at 4 pm and will be the last home game before a long stretch, where five of the seven games are on the road.