Dominant Third Quarter Propels Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse Past Duke
By Sam Corcoran | @The_SamCorcoran
No. 2 Syracuse and No. 15 Duke were deadlocked throughout the first half of the action. The Orange never led by more than two in the first half, and the Blue Devils tied the game four times in the frame. But once the second half started, SU dominated Duke in all aspects and left Durham with a 16-10 win.
The first half saw a physical grudge match between both squads. SU committed 14 fouls in that frame and caused four of Duke’s seven turnovers. The Blue Devils capitalized on a free position and a woman-up goal in half number one, as five different Duke players scored. As for SU, Megan Carney notched a hat trick in the first half for SU, and Sierra Cockerille added two goals to give the Orange a 6-5 lead at halftime. Delaney Sweitzer protected the net throughout the second and finished the frame with three saves.
After a quick Duke goal in the third quarter tied the game, Syracuse netted seven unanswered goals in the period to take a seven-goal lead. The Orange never looked back after Carney netted her fourth goal of the day. The attacker finished the contest with five tallies, which ties a season high. Four more SU players joined the scoring parade in the third quarter. Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward each netted two goals to give the Cuse a 13-6 lead after the period.
Duke made a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils netted four goals in the frame compared to the Orange’s three. But it was too little too late. Ward and Tyrrell joined Carney as SU players to nab hat tricks in the frame. Syracuse steamrolled past Duke throughout the second half to hand the Blue Devils its fourth straight loss.
With the win, the Orange improve to 9-0 on the season, their best start in program history. Up next for SU comes one of its toughest challenges this season – a date in the Dome with No. 5 Stony Brook on Wednesday. Last season, the Orange narrowly escaped the Seawolves with a 12-11 win.
Follow @CitrusTVSports for more Syracuse women’s lacrosse coverage throughout the season.
