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After Emma Tyrrell netted Syracuse’s first goal of the second half for a 9-8 lead, Emma Muchnick won the ensuing draw — SU’s second win in a row after losing 9-of-12 beforehand. Possession quickly changed hands twice, but once the Orange regained the ball, they fed Emma Ward at X — something they lacked throughout a sluggish first half.

Naturally, Ward capitalized on the opportunity, bulldozing her way by Logan Olmstead toward the left side of the eight-meter. Because of Ward’s domination as a one-on-one player, Loyola defender Lily Osborne moved off of Tyrrell and toward Ward. Ward — SU’s leading assister — looked toward the middle of the crease and hit Tyrrell in stride on a backdoor cut. Goalie Lauren Spence was left helpless, jumpstarting the Orange for a 6-0 second-half run where the Emmas dominated.

The Orange’s offense has been a well-oiled machine this season on the back of their depth, but facing Loyola, Ward and Tyrrell took over. In No. 5 Syracuse’s (8-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast) 16-13 win over No. 7 Loyola Maryland (9-1, 4-0 Patriot League), Ward (4) and Tyrrell (6) combined for 10 goals, handing the Greyhounds their first loss of the season. Despite a back-and-forth first half, poor draw control play (12-for-31) and Delaney Sweitzer struggling in the cage (23.5% save percentage), the Emmas propelled SU to its fifth consecutive win after starting the season 3-3.

“I thought we had some big performances, especially on the offensive end (from) Emma Ward and Emma Tyrell,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said.

After Tyrrell and Ward connected to put the Orange up 10-8, they got the ball back to Ward at X with the same matchup versus Olmstead. This time, SU cleared out, letting its star go to work. Ward bulldozed her way toward the middle of the eight-meter, and instead of dishing, nailed a behind-the-back snipe extending the Orange’s lead to 11-8 at the 7:09 mark of the third.

“It’s just playing within the system and just knowing when the right time to do things is,” Ward said “The first time they kind of hedged and Emma made a great backdoor play … The next time is just understanding the situation, they weren’t hedging and sliding and she was playing me heavily topside.”

Ward’s goal led Syracuse to its second 3-0 run of the game, but unlike it did in the first half, SU kept its foot on the gas pedal. After a two-goal first quarter where the Orange didn’t feed Ward at X and Tyrrell squandered her best scoring opportunity, they broke out in the second quarter.

Even though it was a period where SU lost nine straight draws, Ward scored two quick goals, with her second starting a 3-0 run where Natalie Smith and Tyrrell gave Syracuse a 7-4 lead 6:49 until halftime.

But as it did in its loss to Stony Brook, SU let Loyola embark on a 3-0 run, tying the game back up. The Orange’s defense did a great job containing the Greyhounds for most of the first half, but when the draw control unit struggles, SU allows scoring runs.

Payton Rowley gave Syracuse much-needed momentum going into the break, scoring a last-minute first-half goal. Yet, as Loyola did throughout the first half, it fought back, tying the score 8-8 three minutes into the second half with a goal from Regan Kielmeyer. Though that was the last time the Greyhounds scored for nearly an entire quarter as Ward and Tyrrell took over the third quarter.

Following back-to-back goals from Tyrrell and Ward after Kielmeyer beat Sweitzer — who only saved 4-of-17 shots on goal — the Orange’s gameplan was clear: feed the Emmas.

“We saw they were being really aggressive (early) and they were doing certain slides to certain people, so being able to adjust mid-game was something really big, big for us,” Tyrrell said.

As SU’s draw control heated up — winning 5-of-6 third-quarter draws — Muchnick controlled her second in a row, leading the Orange to put the ball in Tyrrell’s stick. And, just as she’d done throughout the game, Tyrrell maneuvered her way through the Greyhounds’ defense, scoring less than a minute after Ward’s behind-the-back shot.

Savannah Sweitzer then poured in her second of three goals, giving Syracuse a 13-8 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Tyrrell continued her hot streak to start the fourth. After Olivia Adamson — SU’s leading point scorer entering the game who was held to just one assist — missed a free position shot off the pipe, she scooped the ground ball and scored her sixth goal, a new season high.

Loyola finally ended SU’s scoring run at the 11:18 mark of the fourth quarter and then cut its deficit down to 14-10 after Chase Boyle scored. But Ward ended the Greyhounds’ mini run.

Isolated with Olmstead yet again from X, Ward maneuvered her way right in front of the crease. Though Olmstead stayed in front of her, Ward attempted a side-armed shot around the defender and scored her fourth goal of the game — tying her season-high — with 8:30 remaining. From there, Syracuse’s defense closed the game out, securing a 16-13 win.

“We needed an out of conference big win and we got one tonight,” Treanor said.

Published on March 27, 2024 at 6:47 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon