Syracuse Loses its Leading Goal Scorer in Loss to BC
By Joe Puccio
CitrusTV Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter
No. 3 Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse (11-2, 7-2 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 4 Boston College (12-1, 7-2 ACC) 14-13 inside the Dome. This is SU’s first home loss since February 10, 202, a one-goal loss to Stony Brook.
More importantly, Attack Megan Carney left the game in the second half with a knee injury. Emily Hawryschuk joined her and the athletic training staff into the locker room. Syracuse’s leading goal scorer did not return to the game but came back to the sidelines with crutches and ice taped around her right knee.
Megan Carney’s status is detrimental to this team. Coach Gary Gait said the team will evaluate the situation tonight and tomorrow, not giving a finalized remark on her status.
“Meg is tough as nails,” said Sam Swart, who had three goals this evening. “Family is our main motto here and the main thing is keeping everyone positive. We will have Meg alongside us regardless, but now it’s time for us to step up.”
These two teams have been waiting to meet each other all season. Syracuse and Boston College have been crowned as the only two ACC squads that can give No. 1 North Carolina a run for their money. BC proved their strengths early.
The Eagles got out to a hot start in the first half. BC started the game on a 4-0 scoring run. Boston College passed the ball with authority and cut to the crease with impressive finesse ability. Leading scorer Charlotte North and Caitlynn Mossman were the only Eagles with a multi-goal first half. The Orange had difficulty against their attack all game.
And Syracuse took a while to get its feet under them in its early scoring chances. Carney scored SU’s first game at the 16:18 mark. She followed up with her second goal just 27 seconds later. The McKinley, Texas junior finished the first half with a hat-trick. Freshman Emma Ward also had a multi-goal period.
Entering the half, No. 3 Syracuse trailed No. 4 BC 8-6. It was time for a wake-up call from Coach Gary Gait.
“We needed to run one or two more passes,” said Coach Gait. “They threw a double shot at us, so it took us a while to get going. If we don’t score, we don’t get into a flow.”
Senior midfielder Sam Swart put the coach’s words into fruition. She scored on SU’s opening possession of the second half to kickstart Syracuse’s offense. North scored her 60th goal of the season to keep BC’s lead to two.
SU still found ways to score after Carney went down in the second half. Emma Ward and sophomore Emma Tyrrell exploded with a hat-trick performance. Ever since the Mt. Sinai native’s first goal, it turned into a back-and-forth affair.
With 2:33 left in the game, BC was clearing the ball after a ripper from Emma Ward pinged the crossbar. Graduate defender Ella Simkins was carded for a dangerous follow-through. Boston College found itself on the woman-up and capitalized. Junior Jenn Medjid put the nail in the coffin and secured the 14-13 victory for the Eagles.
Moving forward, the Orange need to have cleaner clears. BC caused 7 SU turnovers, creating difficult challenges for Syracuse to advance the ball up the field. Draw controls also took a huge step back, as Syracuse lost 18 of 28. Rush-Henrietta sophomore Kate Mashewske only secured one draw, while Simkins, Morgan Widner, and Meaghan Tyrrell came into relief, winning a combined nine.
“We are better than what we showed,” Coach Gait remarked. “We got out-hustled on those ground balls. We got to watch film and work on our technique.”
“It’s a learning experience for us,” Sam Swart declared. “We have to take the defensive energy and hopefully transfer over to the offensive on Saturday.”
The Orange has a chance at revenge in a few days. The Eagles will spend their Friday in Cuse before squaring off with SU at noon on Saturday in Syracuse’s regular season finale.
jpuccio@syr.edu | @TheRealJoePooch
