Syracuse Rallies to Top Loyola For Best Start in Program History

The Orange women's lacrosse team picked up a road victory.

The #9 Loyola Greyhounds hosted the number two team in the nation for a barnburner top-ten matchup. Unfortunately for them, the Orange came out on top in a test of endurance.

After a defensive battle where goals were scarce, the Orange held on to continue their undefeated season with a 9-7 victory against the Greyhounds. Even after getting shut out in the third period, a first for the team this season, the Orange fought back from a one-goal deficit to eke out a victory. 

After a back-and-forth first half that resulted in a 6-3 lead for the Cuse, The offense stalled, only shooting three times in the third, none of which were on goal. However, the team stayed together and performed in the final 15 minutes, much to head coach Kayla Treanor’s delight.

“I’m really proud of my team,” Treanor said. “We can certainly clean up a lot of things and play better, but they had a lot of belief and they came together and made big plays when they needed to in the fourth quarter.”

One of those big plays was from midfielder Sierra Cockerille, who equalized the game with an unassisted strike early in the fourth. That spark was enough to score two more from Meaghan Tyrell and Megan Carney, and the defense came right back with a shutout quarter of their own to seal the win.

The Meg Show once again shone when the Orange needed them to tonight, with a pair of goals each and the rest by the supporting cast. There were seven unique goal-scorers for the Orange, where they were able to score with depth and wherever and whenever asked.

The Loyola defense allowed the fewest goals by the Orange this season, the first time they’ve been denied double digits and the lowest since their 15 goals against Notre Dame. Lauren Spence recorded a great eight saves against the Syracuse offense, and the defense did its best to neutralize the best scorers, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

This is the second straight loss for the Greyhounds, both of which they had the lead in and fell to their top-ten opponent late in the game. Despite the two-game skid, Loyola head coach Jen Adams has full faith in her team to get over the hump.

“The messaging today is we have to play a full 60 minutes,” Adams said. “It’s just the ability to execute when the pressure’s on late in the game, it’s a very hard thing to simulate, and this team will get there. They’ve shown they have the capability to take a tough game like today and finish.”

Syracuse improves to 8-0, their best start in program history, besting their 7-0 start in 2017. They will face Duke in Durham, NC after a short three-day journey further south. Loyola falls to 5-2 and prepares to host Lehigh in their first Patriot League game of the season on March 18.