Syracuse women’s lacrosse did something a little different when it had to claw its way back from down seven goals against seventh-ranked Duke last weekend. The change: switching from the team's traditional zone defense into a man-to-man. That move turned the tables for a unit that allowed nine goals in a quarter to shave that down to seven the rest of the game. We have to go back in time to remember because it may be key yet again in SU’s next matchup against number 14 Virginia.
The Cavaliers come into this game with a massive, ranked win 20-10 over number 22 Richmond. The Wahoos had nine different goal scorers with six players who scored multiple times. The balanced attack could be a challenge for the SU defense early, especially if a dynamic duo emerges for the UVA.
In the last couple of games, the Orange have struggled to stop lethal scoring combinations. Here are two examples. First, the combo of Northwestern’s Lauren Gilbert and Jill Girardi together notched a total of 12 of the 16 goals for the Wildcats. This was detrimental for the Cuse because the draw control specialist Girardi was also dominant in the DC circle. As a reminder, Syracuse lost that game 16-15 in overtime off the free position shot, after a defensive breakdown and subsequent three-call, from Gilbert.
Most recently, against Duke, it was a little different, but that’ll explain why shortly. The pair of Katie DeSimone and Kat Barry only netted a total of five goals and four came off the stick of Berry. More notably, the two finished with 14 total points to lead the team, connecting once.
This is game had a different result though. The Orange came all the way back, down seven at one point, to knock off the Blue Devils. There are a couple of changes that this could be attributed to. The goalie change stands out as significant. Head coach Kayla Treanor switched her strategy for the position. Up until that point, it had been a two-goalie rotation that started with junior Delaney Sweitzer. Against Duke, it was Kimber Hower. The North Carolina transfer struggled earlier in that contest. Remember, the nine-goal first quarter, but it was a couple of key decisions from Coach Treanor that changed the tide.
The second reason the Orange escaped that game with a victory was because of a choice and an adjustment made by Coach Treanor after the first frame. The rookie head coach first made the tough decision to stick with Hower throughout the entirety of the game when she could’ve pulled her early at any point. Instead, the decision was to remain consistent in the cage for the first time all season.
The major adjustment that won Syracuse the game was changing from a zone defense to a man-to-man. The Cuse came out in a different look that threw off Duke and made the difference. Tewaaraton Watch Lister and SU defender Sarah Cooper says this is what gave her team the upper hand.
“Sometimes a team can beat a defense and being able to have a switch is really important to stop a run or stop whatever they are doing that’s working so well,” Cooper said.
That may be something the Orange may have to rely on again during this contest with the Hoos. UVA had two major players step up in its blowout win over Richmond a few days ago. Rachel Clark and Jaime Biskup combined for nine goals for nearly half of the scoring total.
As documented, SU has had varying success when it comes to scoring duos. The difference has been what changes Coach Treanor is willing to make.
This matchup against Virginia is just one of three road games over this next stretch. Two ACC teams and two more ranked opponents.
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us, but I think we’re all really excited,” Treanor said.