Syracuse Ties Best Start in Program History With Win Over Notre Dame

Behind a career day from Emma Ward, the Orange continue to vie for the nation’s top spot.

As they continue to petition for that coveted number one ranking, Syracuse earned another ranked win against #12 Notre Dame. Behind three hat tricks and a career day for Emma Ward, the Orange downed the Fighting Irish 15-7.

Four of Syracuse’s five Tewaarton Award Watchlist members recorded hat tricks in the contest, and the remaining player, Emma Ward, had a career day. In other words, Syracuse’s stars put on a clinic.

Meaghan Tyrrell, Emma Tyrrell and Megan Carney had hat tricks. Meaghan Tyrrell’s came before the first half of play had even ended. She and Carney netted four on the day, with Emma Tyrrell scoring three goals of her own.

Emma Ward, a junior attack, dished out seven assists, a career high. Ever so humble, she credited her success to those around her.

“People around me were making good cuts,” Ward said. “Meg Carney specifically, she had a lot of nice cuts. Meg Tyrrell, just finishing in transition.”

Despite being an elite scorer, Ward has played more of a facilitator role this season. However, with just under 40 seconds to play, Ward made sure to get her name in the scoring column, too. She shot a laser from far out to tally her seventh out of eight total points on the day.

When asked about her goal after the game, she said she was just “playing in the moment”. She added that she saw an opening and shot the ball as hard as she could, enjoying a laugh with teammate Hallie Simkins.

On the defensive end, the Orange were not as dominant as usual. After an early score in the third period, Syracuse allowed Notre Dame to score four straight goals and get somewhat back within reach. Head Coach Kayla Treanor was not pleased with the way the third period went, but acknowledged there were some other factors at play.

“There was a lot of emotion out on the field from both teams and coaching staffs,” Treanor said. She is referring to a passionate outburst from Head Coach Christine Halfpenny, who was visibly upset with the officials. Halfpenny had a heated argument with an official, which resulted in the official instructing her to return to her sideline, where she was met with cheers from Syracuse fans.

“We just had to be neutral and take a deep breath and know that we’re in control of the game,” Treanor said about how her team handled the turbulent third period. “They handled it well.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Syracuse faced something they haven’t yet dealt with this season: an injury to one of their star players.

Kate Mashewske, one of the best faceoff specialists in the nation, won the draw control, but was pushed out of bounds just seconds later, coming down awkwardly. While it was unclear what her exact injury was, she stayed down for a few minutes before being helped to the locker room.

She eventually returned to the sidelines on crutches, but no brace, cast or boot in sight. Coach Treanor did not have an update on her condition after the game.

For the Fighting Irish, it was Jackie Wolak that ran their offense. She tallied five assists and challenged the Orange defense to keep up with her quick, accurate passes. Coach Treanor said after the game that thinks her defense could have done a better job at containing Wolak.

The only multi-goal scorers for Notre Dame were Kelly Denes and Kristen Shanahan. Both scored twice, with Denes tacking on six draw controls.

With the win, the Orange improve to 7-0 on the year and 3-0 in ACC play. The 7-0 start is tied for the best in program history. Next up for the Orange is #7 Loyola, making this their first road game against a ranked opponent and the first of three straight ranked opponents they will face.

Syracuse will take on the Greyhounds on March 15 at 6:00 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.