Syracuse Tops Northwestern in Season Opening Thriller

A matchup of top five teams did not disappoint as the Orange beat the Wildcats.

Syracuse women's lacrosse starts their season with a convincing win, taking down #4 Northwestern 16-15. The Cuse started the season ranked #5 and had this game circled on their calendar, as it was the Wildcats who ended their season in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals last year. After a year of preparation, the Orange have won their revenge game.

“It was just a great lacrosse game today,” Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor said. “I’m just so proud of the team that they were able to pull out the win in such a close, competitive game.”

After a 6-goal second quarter from the Orange, Northwestern responded by tying up the game near the end of the third, turning the final 15 minutes into a goal for goal trade. A heroic goal from Syracuse’s Meaghan Tyrell sealed the game with a 2-goal lead with 1:10 left, and despite Northwestern’s Izzy Scane scoring with just a handful of seconds remaining, the comeback fell short for the Wildcats.

Syracuse’s offensive attack spread the ball out among several scorers, with 6 players finishing with multiple scores. Megan Carney led the way with 4 goals and Meaghan Tyrell finished with 6 assists, creating a fast-moving offensive plan where just about anyone can sling the ball through the pipes.

As the game progressed possessions became more calculated and decisive, with every chance with the ball being valuable in the final quarter. The offense was able to produce when needed and keep possession for an extended period, most notably in Tyrell’s game-sealing score.

“We know it’s a game of ups and downs,” said Tyrell. “We just wanted to stay consistent and stay neutral.”

The defense of the Orange was a key part of the victory today, both in the net and out. From the defense, a total of 10 forced turnovers from the Orange disrupted any momentum Northwestern tried to establish. A total of 16 turnovers - including 6 in the fourth quarter - kept the Orange just out of reach near the end. In net, Syracuse goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer ended the game with 11 saves with 26 shots on goal from Northwestern, successfully keeping the Wildcat offense reliant on their top scorers.

“Having the defense in front of me and the composure we had the entire game, no matter if a goal was scored on us or if we made a big stop, we stayed very consistent with our mentality,” said Sweitzer. “That’s something we have moving forward.”

With Scane returning from injury after last season, she looked extremely solid in the offensive attack, finishing with 5 goals and an impressive 13 points on the day. “Scane is a player we have known about for a while,” said Treanor. “She’s a very very talented player, and we expected her to step up.”

The Wildcats fall to 0-1, preparing to host Notre Dame on Thursday, Feb. 16. Syracuse advances to 1-0 and will host Maryland on Friday, Feb. 17 in another top 5 matchup.

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