May is here, which means postseason lacrosse for the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team. Last season ended as good as anyone could’ve hoped with an appearance in the national championship game, but there is still some unfinished business. That’s the mission that Head Coach Kayla Treanor and company have been tasked with this postseason.
Before we start writing the fairy tale redemption story, the Orange have to make it back to Memorial Day weekend. This starts with a date with Fairfield on Friday. If you’ve been following along all season, you already know SU's path to make it to its 19th NCAA tournament, so let’s learn about the Stags and what this squad brings to the table. Fairfield and Syracuse have faced off three times prior to this matchup, and SU has had the advantage at every turn, but it’s been over 20 years since that last contest.
This iteration of the Stags is coming off its fourth straight MAAC Championship to punch its ticket to the national tourney. Fairfield has built momentum late in the regular season and carried that five-game winning streak into the postseason. In terms of competing in-conference, the Stags finished 5-3 with no players taking any of the major MAAC awards. There were a couple of players that made the all-conference First team, who represent both the offense and the defense. Senior midfielder Kelly Horning and senior defender Caroline Mangan highlighted the list for the Fairfield.
In true midfielder fashion, Horning is a strength in all phases of the game. The grad student is in her fifth season and has developed into one of the best at her position, with the crown jewel coming last year, winning the conference midfielder of the year award. The middie is just outside the top-10 in caused turnovers in the nation and is second in the MAAC with an average of two forced per game. Plus, picks up over two ground balls a game, also top-3 in the conference. The Maryland native also ranks in the top-10 in free position percentage, converting 65% of her attempts. Horning is the double threat that the Stags are bringing into the first round of the NCAA tournament.
On the other end, Mangan holds down the fort on defense. Along with Horning, the New York native is one of the best at forcing turnovers in the MAAC with just over one a game which ranks top-five in the conference. Toward the end of the season, the defender started to gain some momentum in this area. Mangan recorded five caused turnovers in a game against Canisius to end March. When that specific category was lacking in the most recent game against Monmouth, where the senior only notched a couple of CTOs, Mangan made up ground with four ground balls on the afternoon. This New York native won’t necessarily jump off of the stat sheet, but she leads a unit that ranks in the top-15 in the nation at causing turnovers.
So that’s either end of this Fairfield team. Horning will be all over the field while Mangan keeps things composed in the back end. The Stags had a fairly successful season but are playing their best lacrosse running deeper into May. On the other end, the Cuse is coming off a quick one and down in the ACC tournament and is searching for momentum heading into this year’s tourney.