Reinventing the Wheel: Syracuse Thriving Amidst Key Injuries
Take the two best players off of any team in just about any sport, and the results are most often catastrophic. Teams do not play at the same level, which is understandable without two of your best. Then there is Syracuse women's lacrosse.
Gone after the season opener was Emily Hawryschuk, arguably the best player in the sport, due to a torn ACL. Megan Carney suffered the same injury against Boston College on April 22nd. Each time, Syracuse has had to adjust. Adjust it's plan, adjust the roles of certain players, adjust its rotation. Each time, Syracuse has thrived.
"Definitely just a message that he believes in all of us," Meaghan Tyrrell said. "He does feel that even though we're missing these two key components to our team, that we are more than capable of going as far as we want to go. As far as we've worked to go."
Look at some of the other top teams in the sport. Take Jamie Ortega and Katie Hoeg off of North Carolina, or Charlotte North and Jenn Medjid off of Boston College, or Izzy Scane and Lauren Gilbert off of Northwestern. Are they still the same? Do they recover to remain one of the best team's the country and legitimate title contenders? Not only did Syracuse lose two of its best offensive players, but starting midfielder Vanessa Constantino was also lost for the season with an injury.
After the Hawryschuk injury, the Syracuse offense morphed from the Emily and Megan (Carney) show into the Meaghan and Megan show. When Carney went down, it became the Tyrrell sisters show.
"Once those two injuries happened, people realized that it could be their opportunity to step up," Meaghan Tyrrell said. "That's what we've seen throughout our midfield. After having Emma (Tyrrell) step up into the attack, both Emmas (including Ward) technically, having them step in and really show up for us has been huge. I think it's kind of that mindset that no matter what happens we need to keep stepping up and showing up. If we keep having that mindset, success will come with it."
And success has come. Syracuse has only lost once since losing Megan Carney and has only lost three times all year. Twice to top ranked and undefeated North Carolina, and once to top five Boston College. Syracuse earned the three seed in the NCAA Tournament, which came with a first round bye. The Orange blew out Loyola in the second round, Florida in the quarterfinals and Northwestern in the semifinals. Now Syracuse is looking to win its first ever National Championship.
A key component in that success has been the emergence of Emma Tyrrell, sister to Meaghan. When Carney went down, Emma had to change positions from midfield to attack. Something that is not easy to do even with a full offseason of preparation, let alone in the middle of a season for a team with National Championship aspirations.
"It was big shoes to fill," Emma Tyrrell said. "I'm still trying my best to do it. The conversation we (with head coach Gary Gait) had was he told me the offense is the same as you've always been doing, you're really just playing a little bit lower than usual. Just keep doing what you've been doing, just with the ball in your stick a little more and you'll be great."
In the five games since the switch, Emma has scored 17 goals to lead the team.
"It's basically just a proud big sister moment," Meaghan Tyrrell said. "She's been playing midfield basically her whole life. To see her step into an attack role that she really hasn't played before and excel as much as she is, is just something I'm so proud of. It definitely brings energy to the rest of the team to see her step in and play as well as she's been playing."
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Meaghan has stepped up as well. She took on a larger role when Hawryschuk was lost, and yet more responsibility without Carney. With the emergence of Emma, the Tyrrell sisters are one of the most dynamic duos in the sport. The Syracuse offense has other weapons as well, such as the speedy Sam Swart, super freshman Emma Ward, and a plethora of others.
The credit for Syracuse not missing a beat despite having to reinvent itself twice this season goes to several places. The coaching staff for moving players around to the right positions to continue the productivity of one of the best offenses in the nation. To the players for maintaining confidence and accepting roles even as they change. But also to the injured Hawryschuk and Carney, who continue to make an impact without stepping onto the field.
"They definitely have taken leadership roles off the field," Meaghan said. "They've stepped up in team huddles and giving advice from the far point of view on the sideline. If they see something they think will work, they bring it up during a huddle or our drills. They've definitely taking a coaching perspective since their injuries and that's been great for us."
Syracuse faces Boston College in the National Championship Game on Sunday (12:00 p.m. on ESPNU).