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Syracuse’s 21-9 season-opening victory over UAlbany provided a strong baseline for a team that faced more questions than answers in terms of personnel coming into this season. Still, the performance left much to be desired, including SU’s new draw control, offensive and defensive units.

In their victory, the Orange were dominant in almost every facet of the game. While its defense suffocated UAlbany’s attack by forcing 18 combined turnovers at one end, 11 different players found the back of the net for Syracuse at the other. Late in the second quarter, Syracuse had already built a 10-goal advantage and never led by less the rest of the day.

On Saturday, SU’s new-look roster was finally given its first taste of the Division-I upper echelon. In its first road contest of the season against the Terrapins, the Orange rose to the occasion and thrashed the Terrapins in a 15-9 victory for their first statement win of the season.

Here are some observations from No. 6 Syracuse’s (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 15-9 victory over No. 7 Maryland (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten):

Emma Ward’s dominant first quarter

In Syracuse’s season-opening media availability, veteran attack Olivia Adamson said Emma Ward’s ability as a leader has inspired her in the past. Against Maryland, Ward was a force to be reckoned with, racking up five points (three goals, two assists) in the opening 15 minutes.

Just 50 seconds in, Ward circled around the back of the UMD goal and worked her way to the top of the 8-meter line. Kennedy Major attempted to face guard her, but Ward wouldn’t be denied. In one motion, she whipped a shot past goalie JJ Suriano to put SU ahead on its first shot of the game.

Following an assist on Adamson’s initial tally, Ward again found herself in a one-on-one matchup with Majors at the 10:35 mark and took advantage with a prolific strike. To cap it all off, she left Kennedy stunned with a behind-the-back no-looker snipe for her third goal halfway through the opening quarter.

SU’s draw control regression

Amid Syracuse’s one-sided 21-9 victory over UAlbany, the draw control circle was one area that didn’t look entirely dominant. Though Treanor stated before the game that she would run a rotation in the circle, junior Meghan Rode was instead solely tasked with leading the unit. She finished the day with 11 draw wins, but still saw mixed success against the Great Danes’ top specialist Haley Phalines.

To open the game against the Terrapins, Treanor placed Rode in the same role. But up against a combination of UMD’s Kori Edmondson, Shelby Sullivan and Kayla Gilmore, Rode struggled early on. It wasn’t until her seventh draw that Rode finally captured possession for the Orange. But her first victory turned out to be her last.

After falling behind 7-2 in the draw circle going into the first quarter, Syracuse rolled with a mix of players in the circle for the remainder of the contest. Alexa Vogelman and Olivia Adamson stepped in to try to jumpstart the new-look unit in the second quarter.

For the rest of the contest, SU called on Adamson to fully take over in the circle. Despite slight improvement from the first half, the Orange still finished the day just 12-for-28 on draw controls, but fortunately, its deep offensive cast made up for SU’s lackluster day in the circle.

Syracuse’s discipline struggles

Entering Saturday’s contest, Syracuse knew it would have to employ an aggressive, gritty playstyle in its first true test of the 2024-25 season. Its offense found a way to erupt for 15 goals at one end and shut the door defensively for the most part Saturday by allowing nine against goalkeeper Daniella Guyette. But at several times, SU’s knack for taking fouls gave the Terrapins many opportunities to build momentum while behind.

Through the first two quarters of play, Syracuse’s players combined for nine fouls compared to Maryland’s lone infraction. Luckily for the Orange, Edmondson only burned them twice in the free position.

In the third quarter, the Orange cleaned up their act and were only faced with fending off a single penalty. By then, however, they had already formed a nearly insurmountable 13-6 edge.

At the 10:37 mark of the fourth quarter, SU’s discipline faltered yet again when Ella Blesi handed Edmondson a free-position shot that she would ultimately capitalize on to cut the Terrapins deficit to 14-7. With 4:25 remaining, the Orange were once again punished shorthanded by a player-up goal by Shelby Sullivan. By the time the clock reached zeros, SU finished with an enormous 12-4 margin in total fouls.

Underclassmen show potential

Before Saturday’s game, Treanor expressed her excitement to see how SU’s almost-entirely new set of underclassmen would respond when faced with the nation’s No. 7 team. It’s safe to say her excitement was warranted.

Caroline Trinkaus, who appeared in just her second career game, dazzled at the midfield for the Orange with a hat trick against the Terrapins. Following back-to-back Maryland goals to close the first quarter, her strike restored SU’s lead back to three at a 6-3 margin.

While SU had already begun to pull away for good in the third, Trinkaus added on two more tallies just under four minutes apart, bringing SU to double-digit goals. Mileena Cotter brought the Orange to 11 with her fourth goal through two career outings.

Joely Caramelli continued to build off of her strong freshman campaign last season and remained at a point-per-game pace by notching a goal and an assist against Maryland.

Published on February 15, 2025 at 1:55 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu