Saturday afternoon marked an inaugural matchup between No. 1 Syracuse and No. 19 Clemson. The location changed, but the mission for SU women’s lacrosse stayed the same as it took down the Tigers 19-10. The Orange remained unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference and improved to 14-0. Clemson marked the eighth ranked opponent Syracuse has defeated this season.
The Tigers scored the first goal of the game, but that did not stop the Orange from handling business. Junior attack Emma Ward led the Orange with a season high of 5 goals and one assist. She has a unique way of striking fast goals as an offensive player. With the score 14-7 during the third period, twenty-one seconds were left on the clock, and it was Ward who scored a goal within seconds putting Syracuse ahead of Clemson by eight points (15-7).
After Kate Mashewske announced that she would not be playing for the rest of the 2023 season due to a lower body injury, Olivia Adamson stepped up and is finding her way in draw controls. Adamson scored three goals and had a career-high of 14 draw controls. She could not be stopped during the game, but she is showing that she is adaptable when it comes to various positions.
There was a total of 13 shooting space violations between the two teams. Syracuse won 20 draw controls and Adamson has been continuing to make progress since March.
Meaghan Tyrrell had four goals and one assist for five points and was 1/2 in free position shots. Tyrrell is another player who is not afraid to play aggressively when she needs to. You can tell that this sport is a passion for her, and she gives her all during each game.
Up next for the Orange will be defending national champion North Carolina this Saturday in Chapel Hill at noon. No. 5 UNC is 10-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. UNC started its season No.1 but Syracuse has maintained the top spot for a program-best of four straight weeks. SU is looking to advance to 15-0 against UNC. This will be Syracuse’s last road game for the regular season.