Vol. 2: Healthy Syracuse Looks Like an Early National Title Contender
Year Two of the Kayla Treanor era is off to a scorching start. The Orange are 3-0 with a pair of top-five wins under their belt.
Meaghan Tyrrell celebrates a goal during her eight-point outing against Northwestern on Feb. 11, in which Syracuse prevailed, 16-15. Photo courtesy: Syracuse Athletics.
Oh revenge, sweet revenge. Syracuse got it in the Carrier Dome in a game that stole the spotlight on opening weekend.
After Northwestern blitzed the Orange in last year’s Elite Eight, 15-4, Kayla Treanor’s Syracuse squad—now fully healthy—edged now-No. 3 Northwestern, 16-15, on Feb. 11, getting the last laugh in what was a back-and-forth affair.
Fittingly, “the Emmas,” Emma Ward and Emma Tyrrell, both played a significant role for the now-No. 2 Orange. Ward missed all of last season, and Tyrrell was sidelined the final nine games of the year with an injury of her own. They combined for nine of Syracuse’s 27 points against Northwestern. Megan Carney, also limited by injury in 2022, chipped in four points.
Meaghan Tyrrell, Emma’s older sister, was the headliner. Not just against the Wildcats. She’s had that title in every game of this young season. The returning Tewaaraton Award finalist has a blistering 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) through three games. She has approximately half her 2022 assist total two weeks into her graduate campaign, perhaps the truest indication of how much deeper this iteration of the Orange is.
The Northwestern game ended to the tune of that narrative, as Meaghan found her sister Emma for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Then she cooked up five more assists against then-No. 2 Maryland to go along with a team-leading six goals. The eldest Tyrrell was the architect for a Treanor-constructed offense that put a 20-spot on the Terrapins. Yes, those Terrapins—a program clad with the reigning Big Ten and Ivy League Defenders of the Year; a program that previously had only given up 20-plus goals twice in the last decade (both times to Northwestern in 2021); a program that prides itself as “Defender U.”
Syracuse’s 20-11 win over Maryland was a statement. The Orange posted an advantage in shots on goal (26-24), draw controls (18-16) and ground balls (13-10). Plus, goalie Delaney Sweitzer—who entered the week 37th nationally with a .480 save percentage—made 13 stops.
The Orange kept rolling Monday with a 17-10 victory over Binghamton, moving to 3-0 and further establishing themselves as a team to watch this spring.
Other Storylines to Know:
1. North Carolina puts roster turnover concerns at ease with perfect start. New year, new team and, so far, same ol’ UNC. Historically, the Tar Heels haven’t been scared to challenge themselves in the early part of non-conference play, and this year they took care of then-No. 12 James Madison, 14-9, and No. 7 Florida, 12-5, just seven days apart. The win over the Dukes was UNC's sixth straight since 2019, and the win over Florida was their fourth in a row against the Gators dating back to 2017. From February through May, winning big games is becoming the norm for Tar Heels.
So what might head coach Jenny Levy’s recipe look like this year? On the scoring end, Caitlyn Wurzburger was expected to produce as the primary returner, and she has. With 13 points, she’s second on the team in scoring. Two names we need to get to know, though, are Reilly Casey and Marissa White. Casey is a junior attacker who played in all 22 games last year, finishing with 18 points. She already has 16 points this season, and she notched a hat trick with three assists against JMU. White is a freshman, and she’s completely unafraid. Five goals in the opener have helped her to third on the team in scoring with nine points.
Taking over for the elite Taylor Moreno, goalie Alecia Nicholas has looked ready. Her 14 saves against the Dukes were crucial in keeping UNC in front. JMU outshot UNC, 30-29. Against Florida, Nicholas just saw 15 shots on goal. The defense and midfield in front of her looked improved from the opener, gaining an advantage over Florida in draw controls (14-7) and ground balls (11-7).
A new-look UNC team huddles after a goal in a 12-5 win over Florida. Nine different Tar Heels scored in the game. Photo courtesy: Jeffrey A. Camarati/UNC Athletics.
2. Northwestern bounces back from Syracuse loss with wins against Notre Dame, Boston College. The Scane Train has left the station. Again. Izzy Scane has picked up right where she left off during a 2021 season in which she set the Northwestern single-season record for goals scored (98), was crowned the Big Ten Attacker of the Year and was named a Tewaaraton Award finalist. After missing all of last season with an ACL tear, Scane is second nationally with 19 goals through three games.
She poured in seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in a nail-biting loss at Syracuse in the season opener and then erupted for 10 goals against No. 14 Notre Dame, tying her single-game program mark. Eight of Scane’s 10 goals against the Fighting Irish came in the second half. Tufts senior transfer Molly Laliberty turned away 13 shots in her home debut in net. What’s more, Northwestern followed up with a victory over the other half of the Holy War, then-No. 3 Boston College. Who else but Scane kickstarted a four-goal, second-half comeback. The Wildcats couldn’t have pulled the upset without Dylan Amonte, who scored a career-high five goals. As was the case last year, Northwestern is more than just Scane, and surges from Amonte and freshman Madison Taylor show that. But Scane’s stardom is undeniable.
3. Rutgers is as advertised. If you agree with the mantra, “defense wins championships,” then Rutgers might be the team for you. The Scarlet Knights are off to a 3-0 start for the second straight year, thanks to their fearsome back line. It’s a group led by senior Meghan Ball, the back-to-back IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week. That’s right, she won it the first two weeks of the season.
The Scarlet Knights found themselves down, 7-5, early in the fourth quarter of the season opener against then-No. 19 Jacksonville. But then, in a defensive masterclass, Rutgers kept the Dolphins off the board for the final 12:28 of play. They won nine of the 11 ground balls in the fourth quarter and caused five Jacksonville turnovers. The offense mustered four late goals, including two from junior Kate Carolonza, to complete the comeback and win, 9-7. Jacksonville has scored double-digit goals in every other game this season.
After traveling back from Florida, Rutgers held Monmouth to five goals and then Georgetown to eight, winning both games. If you add the number of goals Monmouth scored in the second half against Rutgers with Georgetown’s first half goals, you’d have a grand total of one.
This defense is legit. Ball’s 5.67 caused turnovers per game are first in the nation…comfortably. Two players are tied for second at 4.50. Rutgers is allowing just 6.67 goals per game, good for 10th in the nation. Next up, Rutgers is at Army on Saturday.
Goalie Sophia Cardello poses during a 15-8 win over Georgetown on Feb. 18. Rutgers has allowed 20 goals in three games. Photo courtesy: Cos Lymperopoulos/Rutgers Athletics.
4. Denver wins rock fight defensive battle against Louisville. Speaking of defense, did anyone catch that Denver-Louisville game? In one of the lowest scoring games we’ve seen, the Pioneers, No. 9 at the time, came back from down, 4-0, to win, 5-4. The now-No. 23 Cardinals scored their final goal at 2:25 of the second quarter, and then Denver got physical.
The Pioneers tallied nine caused turnovers, won the ground ball margin and held Louisville to just five shots on goal after the first quarter. In the third and fourth, Louisville had 14 turnovers compared to Denver’s seven. But the play of the game came with 0:14 left on the clock. Cardinals sophomore Abby Scully lined up for a free-position shot on the left side, got the whistle and sprinted toward goal. She tried to go high but was met by Denver’s Emelia Bohi, who made one of her four saves in the game. She earned Big East Defensive Player of the Week after another seven saves against Vanderbilt.
Should we really be surprised, though? Last year, Denver held their opponents to 8.38 goals per game, the fifth-best mark in the country. The Pioneers are now 3-0 after their latest win over Colorado.
5. So far, so good for Clemson, the ACC’s newbie. Clemson is tied for first nationally in scoring offense with 21 goals per game. Hold on a sec, though. Let’s pump the brakes. The Tigers have played in-state foes Wofford, Furman and Winthrop and outscored the trio of Big South schools, 63-5. So take those numbers with a grain of salt. But don’t get it twisted. It’s still a remarkable start for a first-year ACC program that consists of 19 transfers.
Clemson is paced by senior attacker Hanna Hilcoff. Her 16 goals are good for fourth nationally. Hilcoff came from Oregon, where she was quickest in program history to hit the century mark for goals. It took her only 37 games. The two-time second-team All-Pac-12 honoree and Jupiter, Florida, native has brought her scoring ways back to the East Coast. Also notable is Tigers goalie Emily Lamparter. The Maryland transfer has posted nine saves and just one goal allowed in 90 minutes of play. Clemson’s first test is Saturday at Notre Dame.
6. Jacksonville drops three in a row but gets the best of Stanford…again. Jacksonville caught everyone’s attention in 2021 when it started the season 6-0 and beat in-state powerhouse Florida, recording the program’s first-ever win over a top-five opponent. Last season, though, the Dolphins faced a more rigorous non-conference slate and started 3-3, with losses to NCAA Tournament-bound USC, UNC and Notre Dame. They bounced back to win the ASUN and make the tournament themselves.
But now they’re in the middle of another rocky start versus stiff non-conference competition, this time under new head coach Tara Singleton. Jacksonville lost its first two games of the season to Michigan and Rutgers, then it surprisingly fell to Army. Those three losses were by a combined eight goals. Singleton’s team responded by upsetting Stanford on Monday. The Dolphins beat the No. 15 Cardinal in the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. This meeting was much closer. Jacksonville found itself down, 4-1, but a 6-0 run—consisting of three goals from both Sarah Elms and Brianna Samuels—gave the Dolphins a lead they never relinquished.
Jacksonville graduate attacker Sarah Elms whips a shot on cage in a 12-10 loss to Army on Feb. 16. Elms leads the Dolphins with 10 goals. Photo courtesy: Jacksonville Athletics.
Weekly Focus:
MADDIE JENNER MAKES DRAW CONTROL HISTORY
Duke’s Maddie Jenner rejoices with her team after breaking the NCAA all-time draw record in a Feb. 19 win over Gardner-Webb. Photo courtesy: Nat LeDonne/Duke Athletics.
After a 24-1 win over Gardner Webb, the No. 10 Blue Devils were celebrating more than just their team. A huddle formed around 6-foot-2 graduate midfielder Maddie Jenner, who was grinning from ear to ear. Her 18 draw controls against the Runnin’ Bulldogs put her at 646 in her career, the most by a single player in NCAA history.
We had a feeling this was coming. Last season, Jenner passed her sister Olivia for most draws in Duke history, and Maddie had a chance to catch the national record in the postseason. Through the first three games of 2023, she’s leading the nation with an average of 14.0 draw controls per game. And that’s nothing new. Jenner has been top-three nationally in the circle in each of the last three seasons—11.65 draws per game in 2022 (1st), 9.84 per game in 2022 (3rd), 10.67 per game in 2020 (2nd).
Consistency has been Jenner’s calling card. She’s started every game since her sophomore year. She had double-digit draws in 16 of her 20 games played last year, and she’s tallied at least 11 in every game so far this season.
There aren’t many draw records left for Maddie Jenner this year, but one we’re keeping our eye on is the single-game draw record (24, Jessica Karwacki, Robert Morris, 2013-16). Karwacki was the previous career draws leader with 645. Jenner’s single-game high is 21, and she recorded that mark last year against High Point.
Numbers to Know:
21 – the number of goals nation-leading scorer Camryn Callaghan has recorded. She’s a freshman, by the way. The Upper Arlington, Ohio, product plays about two hours from home with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Callaghan scored five goals against Robert Morris and another eight in a loss to Marquette.
14.0 – the saves per game for graduate goalie Sam Horan of San Diego State. Horan made 18 saves against Marquette and 17 against Ohio State. Those two save totals are two of the three highest by any goalie in the country so far this year.
4 – the number of teams with a perfect clearing percentage. Most impressive is East Carolina at 42-of-42 through three games. Maryland is 28-of-28 through two. Stony Brook and Columbia both went 14-of-14 in their only game.
Tewaaraton Watch:
POINTS LEADERS
GOALS LEADERS
NOTE: Stats correct through Feb. 19.
Inside Lacrosse Poll
Screenshots pulled from insidelacrosse.com.
The polls are about as solid as a bowl of water right now—there’s a little movement, but nothing is really going anywhere. Only four teams stayed put at their preseason ranking: No. 1 UNC, No. 7 Florida, No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 15 Stanford. Of the 21 teams who’s ranking changed, only three moved more than two spots: No. 6 Maryland (down four), No. 24 Jacksonville (down five) and newly-ranked, No. 25 Penn State (up five). The Dolphins’ skid makes sense with a 1-3 start, and Maryland’s sound defeat at the hands of Syracuse has pollsters wondering if the Terps are top-five material. Colorado (0-3) is the only team to drop out of the rankings this week.
Still a long season ahead of us.
What’s Ahead?
No. 8 Loyola @ Towson, Feb. 22, 4 p.m.
Arizona State @ No. 25 Penn State, Feb. 24, 3 p.m.
No. 10 Duke @ No. 4 BC, Feb. 25, 12 p.m.
No. 6 Maryland @ No. 7 Florida, Feb. 25, 12 p.m.
No. 21 Yale @ No. 5 Stony Brook, Feb. 25, 12 p.m.
No. 23 Louisville @ No. 12 UVA, Feb. 25, 1 p.m.
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