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In Syracuse’s loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament Championship, Kate Mashewske led the Orange to an 18-9 advantage in the draw circle. Despite doubling the Eagles, adjustments by BC slowed Syracuse’s offense as it scored just one second-half goal and fell 15-8.

Fourteen days later, Mashewske continued her hot streak, winning a program record 20 draws, as SU won the battle in the circle 22-7 over Stony Brook. The Seawolves attempted to limit her by having different players take the draw, but Mashewske could not be slowed. The performance propelled SU to a 15-10 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Mashewske continued her success in the circle in Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament quarterfinals matchup against Yale, leading the Orange to a 9-4 lead at halftime. Behind its early lead, SU’s offensive momentum and nine-point performance by Emma Tyrrell propelled it to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the second straight year.

Here are some observations from No. 3 seed Syracuse’s (16-5, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 19-9 win over No. 6 seed Yale (17-3, 7-0 Ivy League) in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals:

Fast start offensively

After scoring three goals in the first five minutes to take an early lead against Stony Brook, Syracuse used another fast start to create momentum against Yale. On the first possession, the Orange worked the ball around to give nearly every offensive player a touch before Emma Ward caught the ball and darted from X before scoring at the 13:58 mark of the first quarter.

Yale’s Fallon Vaughn won the ensuing draw, but the Bulldogs’ first possession lasted fewer than 20 seconds as Coco Vandiver took the ball away, leading SU on another offensive set. Olivia Adamson was fouled and scored on a free position chance to give SU a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

Just after the 11-minute mark of the first quarter, Emma Tyrrell dodged her way into the 8-meter circle and drew a foul to set up SU’s third free position chance of the game. Tyrrell fired it past Yale goalie Cami Donadio to extend Syracuse’s lead to 3-0. Mashewske won the next draw and after a green card on the Bulldogs, Ward dished to Savannah Sweitzer for a score at the 10:16 mark for the Orange’s fourth goal in the first five minutes.

Tyrrell continues hot streak

It didn’t take long for Tyrrell to pick up where she left off after her six point-performance against Stony Brook. At the 10:52 mark of the first quarter, Tyrrell converted her first shot of the game for a goal, finishing on a free position chance.

After taking an early 4-0 lead, the Syracuse offense went on a 10-minute scoring drought, but Tyrrell delivered a pass to Joely Caramelli for a score right before the end of the first quarter.

With SU leading 6-1 midway through the second quarter, Tyrrell scored or assisted on each of its three goals during a 3-1 run. At the 7:58 mark of the second quarter, Natalie Smith dished to Tyrrell for her second goal of the game.

Mashewske got the ball off the next draw and passed to Smith who dashed downfield to find Tyrrell on the left side of the 8-meter. Tyrell beat Donadio upstairs, marking her second goal in the span of 12 seconds. Two minutes later, Tyrrell worked the ball to Adamson for a score to tally her fifth point in just the first half.

Tyrrell added four second half goals as she finished the contest with nine points and seven goals. Tyrell scored two goals in the fourth quarter, marking the eighth straight quarter that she has scored.

SU defense restricts the Bulldogs

SU’s defense made creating offense difficult on Yale from the start of the game. At the 13:40 mark of the first quarter, Vandiver forced a turnover on Katie Clare which set up Syracuse for its second goal of the game. Yale scored one goal in the first quarter, as SU held it to just two shots on goal.

Early in the second quarter, with the Bulldogs looking to cut into the Orange’s 6-1 lead, Delaney Sweitzer reached over the goal to intercept a pass by Megan Kitagawa. Syracuse held Yale scoreless for 15 straight minutes before the Bulldogs netted their second goal at the 6:15 mark of the second quarter.

Yale’s offense was limited, as Syracuse made it difficult for its leading scorer Jenna Collignon to build momentum. The Bulldogs set up its offense with under three minutes left in the second quarter, but SU’s defense forced Collignon into missing a shot high, then stepped in front of another one of her shots to force a shot clock violation.

Delaney showed flashes of dominance, as she recorded a .438 save percentage. With 1:42 remaining in the third quarter, Delaney left her feet to lay out horizontally to stop a shot by Collignon. Then, with SU leading 13-7, Delaney dropped to her knees to stop a low shot by Karina Herrera, making goals hard to come by for Yale.

Mashewske’s steadiness in the draw circle

Mashewske picked up where she left off after a record setting performance against Stony Brook. Mashewske won the opening draw which set up Adamson’s goal less than a minute into the game.

Midway through the second quarter, Mashewske’s success in the circle led the Orange to four-straight draw control wins as it increased its lead to 9-4 entering halftime. During the four consecutive wins, SU went on a 3-1 run behind two goals by Tyrrell.

In the third quarter, Mashewske dominated Yale in the circle, winning 7-of-8 draws. Herrera won the second draw of the quarter before Mashewske led the Orange on a 6-0 run on draws and helped SU to a 13-7 lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Mashewske found success by getting the ball off the draw and by working the ball toward teammates on the outside of the circle. In the fourth quarter, Katie Goodale and Smith each tallied draw controls as SU won the draws 6-2 in the frame. Mashewske’s continued success led Syracuse to win the draw circle battle 22-9 overall.

Published on May 16, 2024 at 5:25 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32