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In its first three games of the 2024 season, Syracuse was tested through nonconference matchups. After falling to then-No. 1 Northwestern in the opener, it rebounded versus then-No. 18 Army. But versus then-No. 9 Maryland, it fell in overtime.

Entering Atlantic Coast Conference play at 1-2, the Orange jumped above the .500 mark with wins over then-No. 2 Notre Dame and Duke. But after a 2-0 start to conference play, the Orange faced another nonconference opponent in No. 12 Stony Brook. Against the Seawolves, SU dropped its second overtime game in as many tries.

Saturday against Virginia Tech, Syracuse returned to ACC play looking to remain unbeaten and jump back above .500. Versus the Hokies, SU rode a shutout first quarter and a 7-0 run to open the game to a dominant third ACC win.

Here are some observations from No. 5 Syracuse’s (4-3, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 15-5 win over Virginia Tech (5-3, 1-2 ACC):

Hokies start slow

On a rainy, cool day in Blacksburg, it would be fair to assume Syracuse — the team that often plays indoors — would be the ones adjusting to the conditions. Yet early on, it was the Hokies who had trouble.

Through the first 15 minutes, VT recorded seven turnovers. While Syracuse’s zone defense was suffocating throughout the quarter, it was the Hokies’ attack that couldn’t hold the ball. On multiple possessions, a Virginia Tech attack raced down the left side and attempted to pass the ball across to a cutter, but players failed to connect, resulting in the ball rolling out of bounds.

Virginia Tech leaders Olivia Vergano and Kayla Downey turned the ball over multiple times, hurting its chances of stopping SU’s dominant opening run.

When the Hokies did work the ball around the offensive zone cleanly, they made mental errors to prevent scoring chances. On a free position attempt, Vergano recorded a false start penalty to thwart the opportunity. SU stopped VT on all eight offensive possessions, allowing its offense to start on a 6-0 run while Delaney Sweitzer faced just two shots in the first 15 minutes.

Scoring depth

Replacing its two leading scorers from last season — Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney — is a challenge Syracuse has continuously worked on throughout the season. Versus VT Saturday, the Orange continued to show that they have plenty of scoring options to replace the production lost from a season ago.

It started last week versus Duke where SU had 10 different players find the back of the net, led by Emma Tyrrell’s game-high five. Though Tyrrell didn’t score on Saturday, the rest of the team picked up the slack.

The Orange had seven goal scorers in Blacksburg, with five scoring two or more. Olivia Adamson and Natalie Smith combined for five goals, but the secondary scorers stepped up to mount a 7-0 scoring run to begin the game. Their leading facilitator, Emma Ward tallied three goals to add on to her three assists. Additionally, Maddy Baxter added three, with two coming in the first quarter. Freshman Joely Caramelli, who has now scored in two of the last three games and continues to have an evolving role on the attack unit, added two of her own.

Replacing players of the caliber of Meaghan and Carney is still a work in progress. But piecing together production through multiple options makes the attack harder to scout and stop.

Limiting Downey

Entering Saturday’s contest, Downey was the clear leader for the Hokies’ attack. A Coastal Carolina transfer, Downey quickly emerged as the leading point-getter for VT, tallying 35 points through its first seven games — 13 more than the next closest.

With 15 goals and 20 assists, Downey looked to be another difficult task handed to the SU defense. But through her strong start to the 2024 campaign, she’d shown some signs of limited ability versus top-tier opponents. Versus then-No. 3 James Madison, she tallied just two points. Against then-No. 1 Boston College she failed to score a goal and was limited to just three assists.

As it did in its last ACC game versus Duke, SU’s suffocating zone defense held the top threat in check. Versus the Blue Devils a week ago, Katie DeSimone was held to two goals after tallying 29 goals in their first six contests.

SU continued the trend against the Hokies, holding Downey to one assist and no goals. Downey was limited throughout the day, and as she struggled so did the Hokies. VT didn’t score a goal until over 16 minutes into the game and totaled just five goals overall.

Sweitzer’s star

Against the Hokies, it was the Sweitzer sisters who stole the show on both sides of the field. Goalie Sweitzer had multiple saves at point-blank range in the first quarter and helped shutout VT in the first quarter. It was the first time SU held an opponent scoreless in the opening frame since April 13, 2021, versus Albany.

Delaney made four saves on six shots in the first half and continued her dominance into the second as she finished with four saves on eight shots.

While Delaney was holding down her side of the field, her twin sister Savannah Sweitzer shined on offense. Savannah was efficient in her efforts. In the second quarter, she opened the scoring and extended SU’s lead to 7-0. After a Hokies 2-0 run and a goal from Adamson, Savannah added another to close the quarter.

Savannah collected the ball as she crossed the restraining line and darted toward the net. As a VT defender approached the eight-meter, she dodged left to right and fired straight on. The ball went low and past VT goalie Jocelyn Torres to extend SU’s lead to 9-2. Savannah was held scoreless in the second half, but her efficient second quarter helped build SU’s early cushion en route to a blowout win.

Published on March 9, 2024 at 2:39 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky