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Through its first six matches, Syracuse women’s lacrosse was undefeated in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Following its win over Cornell Tuesday in Ithaca, all that remains in the regular season is a three-game stretch versus two bottom feeders in the conference (Pittsburgh and Clemson) and ACC powerhouse Boston College.

But if the Orange hope to go into their final regular season matchup with BC unbeaten, they first have to take care of business against the Panthers and Tigers.

“You can’t lose to Pitt and you can’t lose to Clemson if you want to be undefeated,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said Friday. “So these games are important.”

At Cicero-North High School Saturday, Syracuse completed the first task in the set of three. Versus Pittsburgh — the worst team in the ACC — Syracuse took control early, propelling a 7-1 advantage in the first quarter to its eighth straight win.

Here are some observations from No. 3 Syracuse’s (11-3, 7-0 ACC) 16-7 victory over Pittsburgh (4-10, 0-7 ACC):

Mashewske’s hot streak rolls on

Returning from a season-ending 2023 injury, Kate Mashewske had a slow start to the season but is in the midst of her strongest stretch of 2024. First, it was a season-high 18 draw controls versus No. 11 Virginia on March 23. Following a rough patch matched up with Loyola, Masewske totaled 16 versus Louisville and 12 against Cornell.

“Kate is really starting to hit her stride and play well and put together consecutive games of just dominating the drawers,” Treanor said Friday. “So we need her to continue to do that for us to be successful.”

Versus the Panthers, Mashewske continued to look like a top draw-taker in the country. She won opening three draws, flipping them to herself in the circle. The initial three wins allowed the Orange to jump out to a 2-0 lead early, a lead they would never surrender.

Natalie Smith and Katie Goodale also supplied security for Mashewske to collect her own wins in the circle.

“A lot more goes into draw than just the actual draw,” Mashewske said after setting the program record versus Louisville on March 30. “The boxing out really gives me time to get the ball out of the air.”

In their return from missing the Cornell game, Smith and Goodale boxed out on the wings to supply Mashewske the necessary time to succeed. Mashewske finished the day with another strong performance, winning 15 and leading the Orange to a 19-8 advantage.

Continued defensive prowess

Pitt scored less than six minutes into the contest. Then, Syracuse held it out of the net for 26 minutes. A part of a 10-0 run that spanned from less than midway through the first quarter until the 13-minute mark point in the third quarter, Syracuse’s defense didn’t have a single blemish. Leading scorer Jenna Hendrickson was held to just one goal and two shots across 60 minutes.

Coming off their best performance of the season Tuesday, when the Orange held the Big Red to a season-best four goals, against the Panthers — a team that scores just over 12 goals per game and has a 31.6% offensive efficiency rating — the Orange zone forced the opponent out while forcing pressure to cause nine turnovers.

Delaney Sweitzer continued her strong showing off of her best performance as well. After a 66.7% save percentage against Cornell, Sweitzer tallied a 75% mark, holding the Panthers out of the net for most of the day.

“It’s definitely confidence building to start feeling like myself a little bit more,” Sweitzer said after her strong showing versus the Big Red.

With Sweitzer on her A-game and the defensive unit allowing just 12 shots on goal, the Orange rode a quick start until the very end, upending its season-high set just one game earlier.

Free position success

Entering Syracuse’s match versus Pitt, the Orange were 49.3% on free-position opportunities. It hasn’t been a spot that has held their attack back, but it’s been a place that could use improvement.

In its thrashing of the Panthers, much of SU’s success came on free positions. Pitt’s undisciplined defense allowed Syracuse to total three free-position goals in the first quarter. This allowed Payton Rowley and Emma Tyrrell to each tally hat tricks through the first 15 minutes of play.

The success on free position opportunities continued as the Panthers gave the Orange more chances. After capitalizing on 3-of-5 chances in the opening period, Syracuse continued to take advantage in the second, scoring on 3-of-4 chances. The second half saw similar success as the Orange emptied out their bench throughout the third quarter and into the final frame.

In the end, the Orange went 8-for-14 on free positions, a 57% mark. Tyrrell and Smith took advantage the most, scoring two each on the chances while Olivia Adamson, Rowley and Savannah Sweitzer each added one. The performance on free positions propelled SU to its seventh straight game with 15 or more goals, all of which they won.

Emma runs the show

A first-quarter hat trick and a six-goal total, all while standing comfortably on the sidelines for the fourth quarter. Tyrrell’s seven-point performance versus Pitt was just another day at the office for the graduate student.

Ever since her zero-point outing versus Virginia Tech, Tyrrell has established herself as the unquestioned No. 1 threat for the Orange and a top threat in the nation. In the last seven games, Tyrrell’s tallied four or more points in each game. She’s also put up four or more goals in every game but against Virginia. Tyrrell entered the contest ranked fifth in the ACC in goals per game, a 3.08 mark.

“I know I came out hot but I didn’t finish very hot,” Tyrrell said after the win over Cornell.

Against the Panthers, she stayed hot throughout the day, finishing with seven points. Tyrrell scored a goal in all three quarters she played in. Her six goals tied her season high which came versus Loyola. As Tyrrell continues to shine, the SU attack has become a force to be reckoned with.

Now averaging 5.25 goals in her last four games, Tyrrell is well on her way to being a finalist for the Tewaaraton.

Published on April 6, 2024 at 6:16 pm

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