Observations from No. 5 SU’s win over No. 7 Loyola: Early draw struggles, 2nd half defense
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Syracuse entered Wednesday’s contest versus Loyola with a 3-2 record against top 10 teams. In its last two ranked games, it defeated then-No. 9 North Carolina 20-5 and then-No. 9 Virginia 15-14. Against the Tar Heels, the Orange scored seven of the first 8 goals, catapulting them to victory. In its last game, UVA jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but a 4-0 run by SU allowed it to climb back and win in a back-and-forth game.
On Wednesday against the Greyhounds, neither team could build more than a three-goal lead in the first half. The Orange scored three straight goals in the second quarter to take a 7-4 lead, but the Greyhounds responded with a 3-0 run of their own.
Loyola scored at the 11:53 mark in the third quarter but SU surged to a 6-0 scoring run that continued into the fourth quarter. Behind the scoring run, the Orange created a six-goal lead, creating the separation they needed to hold on for the victory.
Here are some observations from No. 5 Syracuse’s (8-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 16-13 win over No. 7 Loyola (9-1, 4-0 Patriot League):
Early draw control difficulties
Syracuse won the first draw which led to a goal by Savannah Sweitzer two minutes into the game. Then, the Greyhounds won the next draw which led to a Chase Boyle goal at the 10:55 mark to tie the game at 1-1. Boyle, the draw control specialist for Loyola, won the following draw and scored 48 seconds later to take a 2-1 lead. Early on, Boyle continued to win the battle in the circle over Kate Mashewske, and the Greyhounds won seven straight draws, a run that continued into the second quarter.
With SU leading 3-2 at the 12:47 mark of the second quarter, SU head coach Kayla Treanor elected to replace Mashewske with Olivia Adamson, SU’s backup option in the circle. In the attack’s first two attempts, the Greyhounds won both and Treanor went back to Mashewske.
Mashewske won the next draw control, ending a 7-0 run in the circle by the Greyhounds. The draw control win created momentum for Syracuse as it finished the second quarter on a 5-4 run in the circle and led to a one-goal halftime lead.
Chase Boyle scores, dominates draws
Boyle set the tone in the first half for Loyola. An All-Patriot League First Team selection in 2023, Boyle scored the first two goals of the game for the Greyhounds and helped them win seven straight draw controls.
On the offense, Boyle led the Greyhounds back to a tie game when it trailed 7-4 midway through the second quarter. Boyle scored off a pass from Regan Kielmeyer to bring Loyola within one score. Two minutes later, she recorded her fourth goal of the game and tied the game at 7-7.
Syracuse took a six-goal lead into the second half, and still, Boyle continued her offensive success to cut down the deficit. With 10:43 left in the game, Boyle finished off a pass from Sydni Black on the Loyola player-advantage to make it a 14-10 game. Six goals from Boyle marked the fifth game this season she’s recorded five or more goals.
Emma Ward, Emma Tyrrell shine
With 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Emma Ward curled around the crease and passed to Emma Tyrrell. Tyrrell created space on her defender and fired a rocket into the net. The goal marked the fourth of the game for Tyrrell and put SU ahead 10-8. Three minutes later, Ward scored on a behind-the-back finish.
Just 47 seconds later, Tyrrell scored her fifth of the game to put SU ahead 12-8, its largest lead of the game. Tyrrell scored her sixth goal of the contest 26 seconds into the fourth quarter, passing her season-high five goals she set against UNC and Duke. Tyrrell and Ward powered the Orange’s offense to a 6-0 second-half run that grew their lead to 14-8.
Loyola scored two straight goals following the early fourth-quarter goal from Tyrrell. Then Ward got the ball and created a one-on-one with a defender just in front of the goal. With her back to the goal. Ward moved left then turned to her right and fired a shot low, marking her fourth goal of the game. Tyrrell and Ward each finished with six points to lead Syracuse.
Second half defense
During the 6-0 second-half scoring run that allowed Syracuse to take a 14-8 lead, its defense held Loyola scoreless for over 15 minutes. After Kielmeyer scored at the 11:53 mark of the third quarter, the Greyhounds were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter. Loyola didn’t score until Georgia Latch found the back of the net on a player-up opportunity at the 11:18 mark of the fourth quarter.
Syracuse won the caused turnover battle, leading Loyola 10-5 as Bianca Chevarie, Katie Goodale and Coco Vandiver each recorded multiple takeaways. Loyola turned the ball over 18 times as Syracuse capitalized, winning the groundball battle 17-12. The Greyhounds scored five goals in the fourth quarter, but the Orange held on to win behind their dominant third-quarter defense.
