Balanced Syracuse Squad in Midst of Winning Streak
By Jacob Morris
Citrus TV’s Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter
On February 10th, the Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse Team fell to 1-1 in their first true test of the year against No. 10 Stony Brook. Since the defeat, Syracuse has rattled off four consecutive victories in the last 14 days. The run has encapsulated just how talented this Syracuse team is, providing countless looks at why preseason expectations for this team were so high.
The Orange began the run with two dominant wins over Albany and Binghamton on back to back days. The two victories were highlighted by the play of the defensive unit. The defense recorded two consecutive first half shutouts and allowed the lowest amount of goals over a two-game stretch since 2005.
No single player was the x-factor for the Orange in either matchup. The defense played as one, stifling, cohesive unit. Goalie Asa Goldstock took it a step further after the win over Albany, attributing the defensive success to an overall team effort.
“It wasn’t so much the defense but rather the whole team you know. I think the thing for us is we played a good game against Stony Brook as a D-Unit but I think as a team we played way better today and it shows in the score,” said Goldstock.
The Orange followed the winning weekend with a dominant performance against No. 6 Northwestern on the road. Syracuse held the nation’s top scoring offense game to just 11 goals in a 16-11 victory. Coming into the matchup, the Wildcats had averaged over 24 goals per game. The Orange defense came up big when it mattered, the unit allowed just one Northwestern goal in the final 19 minutes of the game.
However, once again the Orange defensive unit wasn’t the only one to lead the team. The Syracuse attack kept the Wildcats on their heels for the entire second half. The front line scored five consecutive goals at a crucial point in the game to turn a two-goal deficit into a three goal lead. Emily Hawryschuk was the star for the Orange finishing with six goals on the night. However, she was one of six different players to score for a Syracuse offense that prides itself on its balance.
The ‘Cuse had just 48 hours to travel, recover, and practice before taking the field against Colgate (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League) on Monday evening. The Orange showed little sign of fatigue, thoroughly dismantling the Raiders 21-4. Balance was once again the star of the show for Syracuse. The Orange were impressive once again on both the defensive and offensive sides of the field. SU forced 16 Colgate turnovers and hounded the Raiders attackers throughout the game. On offense, 11 different Orange players found the back of the net, the highest single game total of the season so far. Freshman Bianca Chevarie talked about the unselfish nature of the team following the win.
“It’s not even necessarily about points, it’s about getting goals for the team and that sort of thing. We don’t really care about who gets the points, it’s just the fact that we’re getting it as a team and we’re working together,” said Chevarie.
The balance as an entire team is a pleasant surprise for Syracuse this season. Expectations were that the Orange would be individually good in several spots on the team, defensemen Sarah Cooper and attacker Emily Hawryschuk were both Preseason First Team All-American selections. Both Hawryschuk and Cooper have been dominant this season for the Orange, but the ability of the entire team to step up has catapulted Syracuse to new heights this season.
jmorri27@syr.edu | @jacobwm23
