Syracuse Stifles Stony Brook Late, Holds on For a 12-11 Triumph
By: Ian Nicholas | @IanNicholas25
CitrusTV Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter
SYRACUSE, NY – On Syracuse Lacrosse Legends Day, Coach Kayla Treanor secured a legendary victory. Well, maybe that’s an overdramatization. Let’s try that again. Two hours after Katie Rowan became the first SU Women’s Lacrosse player to have their jersey retired, her former team retired No. 4 Stony Brook (0-1, 0-0 American East Conference) to stay unbeaten in 2022. The Orange (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) may’ve earned their first top-five win of the season, but it was far from a spotless performance from the nation’s third best squad. Regardless, Treanor was pleased with the final result.
“I think the game was as advertised,” said Treanor postgame. “A three vs. four matchup…Overall it was really fun and exciting. Fortunately, we did what we had to do to walk out with a win. Definitely wasn’t perfect. But, it’s a great win for the girls.”
Coach Joe Spallina and his Seawolves drew first blood just 58 seconds into the opening quarter. Star sophomore Ellie Masera notched her first goal of the campaign and finished the game with a team-high four made shots. After a back-and-forth first frame, Syracuse led 3-2. Usual suspects Emily Hawryschuk, Meaghan and Emma Tyrrell scored for SU. The Orange extended their advantage to 5-2 following two more goals from Hawryschuk and M. Tyrrell within the first 90 seconds of the second quarter. Stony Brook wouldn’t flinch. Heading into the half the Seawolves trailed just 6-5, in part thanks to nine first-half saves from goalie Charlie Campbell. If that half sounded like fun, wait till you get a load of the final 30 minutes.
Down 8-6 five minutes through the third quarter, Stony Brook’s offense had plenty of fun, exploding with a 3-0 run in a mere 61 seconds. In need of a spark, Treanor went to SU’s three-time captain to win some possessions for her talented offense. Hawryschuk took three draws, won the first two, and ignited a 4-0 run for the Orange. Syracuse owned a 12-9 lead with one quarter remaining, a lead they kept through the final whistle.
“That was a huge momentum change for us,” Treanor said of Hawryschuk’s third quarter heroics. “Emily came in ready to go…Kate (Mashewske) had just lost a couple (draws). We wanted to change something up…and Emily came in right away and won that first draw control. The girls really responded with that energy.”
Stony Brook wouldn’t head back to Long Island without a fight in the fourth, though. First, Siobhan Rafferty snipped one past goalie Kimber Hower with 13 minutes left. Then, Syracuse went cold, failing to convert two free positions while also turning it over three times before the Seawolves scored a woman-up goal. Stony Brook’s Kyla Zapolski finished off Erin McQuarrie’s fourth assist, making it 12-11 Syracuse with 5:37 remaining. With the Orange offense retreating, SU had to lean on its feisty defense to hold the lead. Despite committing three fouls and a yellow card to close the game, Syracuse held Stony Brook at bay.
“That was huge for the defense to step up like that,” said Treanor postgame. “It’s still really early in the season and it definitely got chaotic at the end of the game. But the defense held it down…They got the ball back to the offense, they were able to kill the clock, and we were fortunate enough to walk away with a win.”
A tight win against an elite opponent was the perfect way to close SU Lacrosse Legend’s Day. After the game, Treanor and her players reflected on the emotions they felt when Katie Rowan’s number 21 was lifted into the rafters next to Gary Gait’s number 22.
“Katie’s always been a huge mentor and role model of mine,” said Treanor. “She is the reason I wore number 21 here at Syracuse, to follow in her legacy…It’s a really big deal for this school and all of Syracuse Lacrosse. It meant a lot to all of us, and especially me.”
“Having the opportunity to play for Syracuse Lacrosse, there’s so much history,” said Hawryschuk. “To have a moment where you see not only Katie Rowan’s jersey up there, but also Coach Gait’s…Cheering on the woman who literally changed the game. It definitely gave me chills.”
Syracuse begins conference play on Saturday, February 26, on the road against a struggling Notre Dame team. The Fighting Irish (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) began the season ranked No. 5 in the nation, but are now unranked following consecutive losses to Michigan and Vanderbilt.
