The ranked gauntlet for the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team has been one filled with stiff competition and close matchups to start the season. The first five top-25 matchups were decided by an average margin of fewer than two goals. That changed when the Orange traveled down to Virginia to face the number 14 Cavaliers. The Cuse started its three-game road trip with a 17-11 victory and relied on consistency to do so.
The persistent problem area for Syracuse to start the year has been the fourth quarter. In the ranked contest against Stony Brook, Notre Dame, and Northwestern, SU had a lead going into the final frame and watched it dissolve. Prior to the comeback win over Duke, the Cuse was outscored in the 15 minutes by a margin of 14-4.
The game against the Blue Devils served as a turning point in this regard with the Orange outsourcing Duke 5-3 in the fourth. So when it came to the matchup against Virginia, it was time to see if the prior ACC contest was a fluke or if the Cuse had shrugged off its fourth-quarter woes.
That’s where the consistency comes into play. Syracuse held its first lead in this game with eight minutes to go in the first 15. The group did not let the Cavaliers retake the lead at any point and kept them at arms length with a 5-0 scoring run in the second. That’s not out of the ordinary for SU though, as documented.
What was the difference, then? Well, the upperclassmen and captains were called upon to step up. It started with attacker Megan Carney. The senior got the Orange off to a good start in the final frame, scoring within the first minute and 15 seconds.
Then, star graduate student Emly Hawryschuk got in on the action with a goal less than a minute or so later. The attacker had already made history Saturday afternoon with her first goal, passing Alyssa Murray ‘14 on the all-time goal-scoring list with number 227th. Despite that accomplishment, Hawryschuk had the ‘W’ in sight and helped propel her team to a smooth fourth quarter.
Finally, and probably most noteworthy, senior Meaghan Tyrrell came through with a highlight reel-type of goal and the dagger. The captain finished with her second straight five-goal performance and could be responsible for this new sense of confidence in the final 15. Prior to the top-10 matchup against Duke, captain Tyrrell explained what lesson she had learned to start the season, and it seems like she’s kept this message in the back of her mind.
“The game’s not over until it’s over,” said Tyrrell in preparation for the Blue Devils.
The win over UVA may solidify that SU is now ready to play a complete 60 minutes game in and game out. That will be further put to the test over the next week as Syracuse faces number 12 Florida and conference foe Virginia Tech on the road. Right now, the Orange are on a two-game win streak and hold a record of 6-1 on the year and 3-0 in ACC play.