Syracuse Starts Road Trip Strong, Defeats Virginia 17-11
By: Ian Nicholas | @IanNicholas25
CitrusTV Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – No. 3 Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) began its three-game road swing with a 17-11 win over No. 14 Virginia (4-5, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). This contest was originally supposed to be played at Klöckner Stadium, but inclement weather forced a change in venue to UVA’s Lower Turf. The snowstorm didn’t slow down the Orange, however, as Syracuse picked up its first road victory over Virginia since 2016. SU also improved to 5-1 when playing a ranked opponent this season. The Orange are on a two-game win streak following their overtime loss to then No. 6 Northwestern 11 days ago.
Although Syracuse held a comfortable six-goal advantage with under five minutes remaining, Virginia was on SU’s heels through the first three quarters. After nine minutes of play, the score was tied at 2-2. UVA struck first three minutes in, but senior Megan Carney would score at the 10-minute mark to eliminate the lead. Junior Emma Tyrrell would put the Orange ahead 2-1 only two minutes later. Early turnovers plagued SU, and UVA took advantage. Virginia’s star freshman Rachel Clark, who finished with four goals, tied the match at 2-2 off of Syracuse’s third turnover in nine minutes.
Then, the Orange got it together. By the end of the first, SU led 5-2 thanks to a pair of goals from graduate student Sam Swart, and a strike from senior Meaghan Tyrrell. Virginia recovered early in the second quarter with a pair of scores to slim the lead to 5-4 with 11 minutes left in the first half. Those final 11 minutes would belong to the Orange. Syracuse went on a 5-0 run from 8:55 to 3:45 in the second, powered by two more goals from Tyrrell and two points from sixth-year senior Emily Hawryschuk. The duo made history during that five-minute stretch. Hawryschuk moved into fourth all-time in goals and fifth all-time in points in program history. Meanwhile, Tyrrell scored the 150th goal of her career thanks to a first-half hat-trick.
Clark scored again for the Hoos two minutes before halftime, as Virginia trailed 10-5 to begin the third quarter. Both squads scored two goals each through the first half of the third, as Syracuse held on to a five-goal advantage. UVA would make things more interesting, cutting the lead to 13-9 ahead of the fourth quarter. The Orange would wake up to start the final frame, outscoring the Cavs 3-1 through the first four minutes; extending the lead to 16-10. Both teams exchanged meaningless goals in the final three minutes of regulation to finish with a score of 17-11 – Syracuse’s largest margin of victory over a ranked team all season. Meaghan Tyrrell finished with a team-high five goals for the second straight game.
SU plays their second of three straight road games on March 16 against No. 12 Florida (2-4, 0-0 American Athletic Conference). The Gators are 0-3 in 2022 against top-5 opponents, with losses to North Carolina, Maryland, and Stony Brook. Syracuse took down Florida in the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2021, defeating the Gators 17-11. Opening draw for this year’s matchup is at 6:30 Wednesday night from Dizney Stadium in Gainesville.
