Syracuse women’s lacrosse: Orange take care of business with a 21-6 win over Canisius

A winter storm that moved through the area dumping about 3/4 of a foot of snow had no effect on the Syracuse Orange women’s lacrosse team’s season opener on Friday evening. The No. 4/4 Orange cruised past an outmatched Canisius squad with a 21-6 victory — their first of the 2020 campaign in as many tries.

The ‘Cuse wasted no time and drew first blood just a minute into the contest. Meaghan Tyrrell took the inside feed from Sam Swart and overhanded a shot past Canisius goalie Lauren Gilbert. The Orange used their dominance in the draw circle (SU won the first ten draws of the game) to build up a 6-1 lead in the first eight minutes.

Canisius did take advantage of some slow reactions by the Syracuse defense to mount a very brief mini-run. Marissa Malvaso and Katie Smolensky both slipped inside the Orange backline and scored back to back goals to cut the SU lead to 6-3 with 18:13 left in the half.

The momentary comeback was halted dead in its tracks as the ‘Cuse slammed the door shut. While the defense clamped down on the Golden Griffins and forced a number of turnovers, the offense went on a 7-0 run over the next ten minutes to put the game out of reach. Canisius would finally score late in the half, but Morgan Alexander’s goal at the 1:39 mark gave the Orange an insurmountable 14-4 advantage at the half.

Syracuse extended their lead coming out of the break. A five goal run through the first 15 minutes increased their margin to 19-4, during which they substituted most of their starters out. The two teams traded a pair of goals the rest of the way, with Orange attacker Kenzie Harris finishing off the scoring for the night. It was the first career goal for the junior, who had been hampered with injuries throughout both her senior year in high school and the first couple of years at SU.

Stats

• Shots: Syracuse 42, Canisius 15
• Shots on Goal: Syracuse 34, Canisius 9
• Turnovers: Canisius 15, Syracuse 8
• Clears: Syracuse 12-13, Canisius 14-18
• Ground Balls: Syracuse 17, Canisius 6
• Draw Controls: Syracuse 23, Canisius 6
• Free Positions: Canisius 1-2, Syracuse 0-6

Hawryschuk (7 g, 1 a, 1 gb, 1 ct, 5 dc), Megan Carney (3 g, 5 a, 1 gb), M. Tyrrell (3 g, 3 a, 2 gb, 1 ct), Alexander (3 g, 1 a), Swart (1 g, 3 a), Mary Rahal, Sierra Cockerille, Bella Recchion & Harris (1 g each), Molly Carter (2 a), Bianca Chevarie (1 a, 1 dc), Emma Tyrrell (1 a), Kerry Defliese (5 gb, 2 ct, 3 ct), Grace Fahey (2 gb, 1 ct, 2 dc), Morgan Widner (5 dc), Braelie Kempney (4 dc), Ella Simkins (1 gb, 1 ct), Sarah Cooper ( 1 ct, 1 dc), Rilea Fusco (1 gb), Cara Quimby & Hallie Simkins (1 ct each), Vanessa Costantino & Katelyn Mashewske (1 dc each), Asa Goldstock (3 gb, 1 ct, 2 saves), Hannah Van Middelem (1 gb, 1 save)

Key Factors

Draw Controls: Canisius really had no answer to Hawryschuk, Widner or Kempney in the circle and if they didn’t haul in the draws directly (these three accounted for 14 of SU’s 23 for the game), then the wings were often in position to get them (Defliese and Fahey accounted for another five). The Orange outdrew the Golden Griffons 23-6 for the game and had the first ten of the contest.

Free Positions: Probably the only area where SU struggled throughout the night. The Orange went 0-6 and while Gilbert did have some good saves for Canisius, Syracuse did not shoot well from the fan. Given that free position shots are pretty high percentage goal opportunities, this was a bit of a disappointment on a night where everything else went without a hitch.

Career Highs: Hawryschuk finished with seven goals, a career high and which is tied for the second most goals in a game in program history. Swart also tied a career high with four points (1 goal, three assists) and from what I can gather, is a career high for her in assists. M. Tyrrell had six points against Canisius (3 g, 3 a) a career best for her. Carney also tied her career high from last year with five assists. Alexander had another hat trick to add to the five games in 2019. Defliese also had a career high five ground balls on top of an overall impressive defensive performance.

Up Next

Syracuse will be back in action on Monday evening when they face No. 12/12 Stony Brook in the Dome. This will be a good early season test for the Orange against a top 15 opponent. It will be the Seawolves’ 2020 opener. Game time is 5pm EST and will be on ACCNX.