Keys to Syracuse Offense So Far This Season
Rahill Jaiswal | @RahillJaiswal
Two games into the season Syracuse sits at .500. After dropping its opening game of the year to #1 Northwestern, #5 Syracuse rebounded with an 18-7 win vs Army. Although we are only two games into the year. There are also some offensive keys we can take away from the games.
The biggest key is the Draw Controls. Winning the draw is always a key to being successful in Lacrosse. But for SU it is particularly important. Why? Well, this offense is still one of the best in the country. Even without their top two freshmen out Syracuse still has a great attack. So to be successful Orange needs to give this attack many chances to make an impact. In the game vs Northwestern Syracuse lost the Draw Control battle 24-13. That state cost them, especially at the start. Syracuse lost lots of draws in the first and the Wildcats were able to use that to get off to a great start. However, the game against Army was a much different story. Syracuse won the battle 16-11 and it helped them start hot. SU was able to score eight goals in the first because they dominated the draw controls. The more possession you get in your offense, the better chance you have to win the game.
The second key to this offense is spreading the wealth. Coming into the season the question around this team was, where is the offense going to come from? Remember, Syracuse lost their two best attackers Meghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney. Well, so far this season SU has done a great job of getting everyone on the team to step up. In the game vs Northwestern Junior Olivia Adamson scored a career-high six goals. Against the Army, it was senior Natalie Smith. The midfielder had a career-best six points. Any player can step up on any given day for SU. You still need your best players like Emma Ward to step up. But so far she has. Ward was one of the best players in the country last year and looks like she is primed for another big year. Someone else to keep an eye on is Maddy Baxter. The senior managed to score two goals in both games this year.
Another key to this offense is Emma Tyrrell. The grad student was named one of the captains this season and is considered one of the best players on the team. However, so far through the first two games she only has three points. So lots of people might be asking, why? Well, so far this season SU has a very interesting game plan. It seems to be that they are using Tyrrell more as a decoy on offense. Tyrrell has spent most of her time around the outside instead of cutting to the cage. Now, that can be smart because she requires so much attention in the field. However, Tyrrell needs to be more involved as the season goes on. When she gets going, she can take over the game.
