Syracuse moves to nation’s #1, as team steps up with Mashewske out for season
Adam Avin | @_adamavin
CitrusTV Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter
It’s been over a month since Syracuse captured a win against Northwestern in the season opener. Since then, the women’s lacrosse season has been constantly changing, with plenty of big upsets and new teams on the rise, but one thing has stayed the same: Kayla Treanor and Syracuse still haven’t lost a game.
The Orange are 9-0 (4-0 in ACC) and remain just one of two teams to have that win/loss record (No. 5 Denver). In this undefeated stretch, the ‘Cuse played some elite lacrosse on both sides of the ball. SU leads the country in Assists (86) and Assists per game (9.6), is third in points (233) and points per game (25.9), is third in goals (147) and goals per game (16.3), and has the largest scoring margin in the country scoring 147 to its opponents 74.
While the Orange had a day off, yesterday was still a big day in the WLAX world. No. 3 UNC lost its first game of the season to No. 2 Northwestern – who Syracuse beat earlier this year – which shook up the national rankings. A new ILWomen/ILWCA poll came out this morning which catapulted SU into the No. 1 spot, replacing UNC who held that title since last season. It’s also the first time since 2019 that a team other than UNC and BC has been No. 1.
Coming into the season, Syracuse had nine ranked teams on the schedule. Not only has that number gone up since, but they are a perfect 5-0 against ranked opponents so far. The Orange played three straight (No. 12 (11) Notre Dame, No. 9 Loyola, No. 15 (18) Duke). Probably the most impressive thing this team has done this season is continuing to play at such a high level against tough competition… especially with draw specialist Kate Mashewke missing the last couple of games with a lower-body injury. ]
The Tewaaraton watch list honoree went down in SU’s win over Notre Dame just a couple of weeks ago, but pre-injury Kate Mashewske was ballin’. Mashewske ranked 2nd in the country in draw controls (total and per game), and her teammates sure could be using her help right about now. Over the last two games, Syracuse has lost the draw-control battle to its opponents 31-17, and has seen its goals per game average drop from almost 18 to 16 in Mashewske’s absence. The team also recorded its season-low in goals against Loyola (9).
However, like I pointed out before, the team has been playing well overall and winning, mainly due to everyone stepping up and coming together. Olivia Adamson has taken the majority of the work in the draw circle, while other have sporadically taken turns as well. Adamson, who consumed a big role last year in the midst of injuries, has once again seen an increased work load with both attack and draw control duties. This shows the trust Coach Treanor has in her, and the versatility of this squad. Earlier this year, 11 players scored goals for Syracuse, with at least six scoring in every game. This team has the ability to do it all.
Now with ‘Cuse at No. 1, Wednesday’s game against No. 6 Stony Brook (5-1, only loss to Northwestern) may be the biggest test yet for Syracuse. The Seawolves are a top-5 scoring defense, and hold their opponents to just about eight a game. In the four times these teams have played in Syracuse, Stony Brook has only won once… back when they played halves instead of quarters.
A hungry Stony Brook team looking to move up the ranks comes to the JMA Wireless Dome with aspirations of beating a Syracuse team having its best start in program history, and who is anxious to keep extending it.
