Syracuse Women's Lacrosse Downs Notre Dame 18-14
The women in the Orange improve to 4-0 on the season after taking down Notre Dame 18-14. While the fighting Irish only lost by 4 goals, it felt like the lost by a lot more. Here's how it happened:
Syracuse came out of the gate strong, scoring the first 4 goals of the game. Goals from Cockerille, Carney, and Ward all contributed to that early 4-0 advantage. Notre Dame was right for a fight, though, and each team scored 6 goals a piece with what was left in the half. The score was 10-6 heading into the second.
The second half started similarly to the first: a Syracuse run that couldn't be stopped. This time, the Orange tallied 5 straight, on goals from five different players, showing how well-balanced the Syracuse offense truly is. As a result, Cuse earned their largest lead of the night (15-6) with 6 minutes gone in the second half.
The Fighting Irish then went on a run of their own with Madison Mote at the helm. Mote scored two of the five and put a little bit of life back into the Fighting Irish. But as we all know too well, lacrosse is a game of runs. Cuse went on another 3-0 run with goals from Ward, Swart, and Emma Tyrrell. This run put Syracuse up 18-11 with only five minutes left to play. In that time, Notre Dame was able to find the back of the net three more times, but Cuse held on and won this one 18-14.
My Takeaways:
1) There were too many sloppy turnovers from both teams, particularly Syracuse. Several times when the game got tight, we saw Cuse having some defensive breakdowns, and sloppy plays on the clear and in transition which led to turnovers and more offensive opportunities for the Notre Dame offense. Luckily for Cuse, ND was having a difficult time capitalizing on those opportunities but this is still something that Cuse will want to clean up by Sunday.
2) If Cuse were to lose this game, it would've been because they were their own worst enemy. There is no debating the fact that this Notre Dame team has talent all over the field. Four of their players were jyst named to the initial 2021 Tewaraaton Award Watch List and for good reason. However, the reality is that Syracuse is better. They just are. They have more talent and were capable of beating this team by more than 4 goals, and I think the result of this game was something they took personally, Despite winning this game, Syracuse players hold themselves to such a high standard that even a win can be a disappointing outcome when the players know they could've done better. Goldstock wished she played better and it was visible by her facial expression. Coach Gait appeared upset during various points in the game as well. But that's what great about these unusual 2021 double headers. Cuse will have an opportunity to fix their mistakes this Sunday.
3) Both teams have to figure out how to handle the pressure. Going into this game, Cuse had played three ranked opponents, and ND had player two unranked opponents, but they had this in common: all of their games were blowouts, and when they were under pressure, it impacted the way both teams played. Now that they've had one game under their belt, maybe they can better manage the high-pressure situations
4) Emma Ward is only a freshman, but she's really good. She is shooting like a senior. She has the confidence of a captain. She is emerging as someone who is a serious threat that goalies especially should be fearful of.
5) Sierra Cockerille had a day. There were 5 Syracuse players added to the Tewaraaton Award Watch List. Cockerille wasn't one of them and she played like she was angry about it. She had 7 points on the day and 5 goals, both career highs for her.
6) Draw controls were a major factor, as they are in any game, and one of the people who stepped up on the circle is Kate Mashewske. She earned a career-best 12 draw controls, the most by a Syracuse player this season. Emily Hawryschuk was a critical component of Syracuse's draw circle unit. Syracuse needed someone to step up in that position and they found their girl.
Syracuse will take on Notre Dame for a second time in the Carrier Dome this Sunday at 12pm. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.