After a back-and-forth shootout, No. 5 Syracuse women’s lacrosse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) came out on top against No. 4 Northwestern (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten Conference) 16-15 in its season opener. A hard-fought game that featured a number of ties and lead changes, every little detail mattered as both teams answered each other’s goals. Attack Meaghan Tyrrell started the season hot with eight points in the game, six of those coming from assists. Some of those assists went to graduate Megan Carney, who led the Orange with four goals on the day, two of which were scored in the fourth quarter.
This game saw the return of senior Emma Tyrrell who looked like she never left, scoring three goals and adding an assist to her day. Emma and her sister Meaghan took over late in the game. Emma scored off an assist from Meaghan who would score the goal that iced the game right after.
While the game ended hot, both teams started off slow. The first quarter ended with a two-goal tie before the offensive explosion. With two high-scoring teams like this, the play of the goalies is going to be essential to victory. Senior Delaney Sweitzer came up huge for the Orange.
Sweitzer posted a career-high 11 saves after facing 12 Northwestern free position shots, she only allowed four shots through and stopped multiple breakaway shots from the Wildcats. The Pennsylvanian was helped by Katie Goodale on defense as she collected four ground balls.
Goodale, along with the rest of the defense, was tasked with defending Izzy Scane, the best attack on the Wildcats and is among the elite in the nation. In Scane’s first game back from injury she proved she was everything the Orange feared, totaling seven points in this game. Midfielder Madison Taylor tallied five goals.
While Scane and Taylor had great games, it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats. After Syracuse led 8-4 at the half, the Wildcats jumped on the Orange early in the 2nd half as they went on a 5-1 run to start. The Orange rallied behind their veteran leaders to regain the lead and did not look back.
The main theme for Syracuse throughout this game was hard work on both offense and defense. While Northwestern won in draw controls, SU won the game in ground balls and turnovers leading to a lot of fast break opportunities. Syracuse also scored with under 90 seconds left in each period to either tie or take the lead, showing their quick score ability and resilience.
“It’s a game of ups and downs and a game of runs,” said Carney. “We just want to stay consistent and stay neutral the whole game.”
Coach Kayla Treanor was proud of her squad’s effort in an early-season test.
“When I scheduled Northwestern to open up the season I think a lot of people thought I was crazy…I'm really glad I did,” said Treanor. “We got to play a great opponent and we got to play a game we learned so much from.”
The Orange start the season with a top-five win under their belt. SU continues to dominate at home, now posting a 34-4 in the Dome since 2019. Syracuse will be tested once again next week. No. 4 SU hosts No. 2 Maryland on Friday. The Terrapins won their season opener on Saturday 15-5 over St. Joseph's. First draw is set for 3 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome.