Syracuse Women's Lacrosse Rolls Over Loyola 18-6
We might have been expecting a win from Syracuse today, but were we expecting that? Syracuse established themselves as a dominant competitor today at the Ridley Athletic Complex after steam rolling Loyola 18-6.
For the start of the first half, the game was relatively back and forth. Syracuse got on the board first and Loyola answered a short time after. Syracuse found a few more goals (one off of a free position) to make the score 3-1. Loyola responded with a free position of their own to make it 3-2. With some fantastic passing and dodging, Syracuse went up 4-2 and it was at this point that Syracuse started to steal the game away. They were moving the ball smoothly on offense, and their defensive unit was an absolute brick wall. The result of this: 8-3 by halftime.
Midway through the half, this game wasn't even exciting anymore (I mean this in the best way). Syracuse was dominating in every (and I do mean every) category. Their draw unit looked exceptional. Their defense was playing solid as a unit, Goldstock the obvious defensive MVP on the day. And as for Syracuse's offense, simply put: no one could stop them.
Loyola is, generally speaking, an offensive-heavy team. When scouting a team like Loyola, your main focus is: how are we going to stop them from shooting the ball, and if we can't do that, how can we decrease their angle so their shots will be easier for our goalie to save? Syracuse somehow did both. Loyola was having difficulty even getting any shots off and when they did, many of them were low-angle shots. Even when Loyola did have opportunities to take shots right in front of the cage, Goldstock saved those, too. The Greyhounds could not break through, and their offense looked absolutely stifled.
Heading into next week against Stony Brook, this was exactly the type of play we all were hoping to see. In fact, many of us might have felt that the Syracuse Women's Lacrosse team exceeded our expectations. They brought back talent this year on both sides of the ball, and the reality is that it showed today.
My early season prediction: it'll be Syracuse and North Carolina at the end of this year fighting for the chip.
TOP PLAYERS
Emily Hawryschuk (4G, 1A)
Sam Swart (4G)
Megan Carney (3G, 3A)
Meaghan Tyrrell (3G, 2A)
Asa Goldstock (4 saves)
Syracuse faces off against Stony Brook Women's Lacrosse in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 10a.m.