We have ourselves a top-10 matchup tonight as the Syracuse Orange women's lacrosse team heads down to Baltimore for their first real road test of the season against the No. 9 Loyola Greyhounds at the Ridley Athletic Complex.

The Orange moved to 7-0 over the weekend with their win over Notre Dame, and now take a break from ACC play for this high-octane non-conference meeting.

The game is set for a 6 PM start and will be shown on ESPN+.

• All-time series: SU leads, 18-5
• Last meeting: SU W, 14-13 on March 29, 2022
• Loyola this year: 5-1

The Greyhounds are 5-1 having their started their season with five consecutive wins over No. 18 Johns Hopkins, Towson, No. 23 Penn, Penn State, and Georgetown.

They lost their most recent game over the weekend on the road against the No. 10 Florida Gators, a game in which they led most of the way and had a two-goal lead in the 4th quarter before Florida scored the final five goals of the game to take a 14-11 win.

Scouting Loyola

Draw Control unit

We have to start on draws, especially in the wake of Kate Mashewske’s season-ending injury last weekend against Notre Dame.

While Kate getting hurt was always going to be a difficult situation for the Orange to overcome, the timing of it may actually be the worst it possibly could have been playing Loyola in the first game without her.

Why you ask? Well, because the Greyhounds rank first in the nation in draw control win percentage (.675) and sixth in draw controls per game (17.33). Jillian Wilson (51 DC), Katie Detwiler (26 DC), and Sydni Black (17 DC) form quite the formidable draw unit.

Presumed new draw taker Olivia Adamson and her circle players are going to have to really step up in order to keep pace with the top draw control unit in the country by win percentage. I hope they had a good few days of practice.

Offensive playmakers

The Loyola offense is well-balanced and full of highly skilled athletes. Their top seven scorers are all in double digits and have accounted for almost every single point they’ve scored this season; 127 of out 130 to be exact.

Sydni Black (15G, 12A, 27P) and Georgia Latch (13G, 11A, 24P) are the headliners and leading scorers. Black has the quickness that makes her very difficult to stay in front of, and Latch has superior stick skills that make her a significant danger both passing and shooting from anywhere on the field.

Emily Wills (9G, 12A, 21P) and Meg Hillman (13G, 2A, 15P) are the elite finishers (combined 22-of-33 shooting), while Jillian Wilson (14G, 5A, 19P) is a do-everything midfielder who racks up points on the offensive end. Chase Boyle (9G, 2A, 11P) and Anna Ruby (5G, 5A, 10P) round out the main scorers for the Greyhounds.

Defensive stopper

Loyola goalie Lauren Spence is having a great start to the season. So great, in fact, that she was added to the Tewaraaton Watch List first round of additions last week.

Spence has an 8.61 goals-against average and a .495 save percentage this season, so the Orange shooters better be ready to pick their corners.

Defender Katie Detwiler was a preseason first-team All-American selection, so her likely guarding of Meaghan Tyrrell will be a fun matchup to watch.

Orange update — Weekly Awards and Statistical rankings

Emma Ward and Delaney Sweitzer both received weekly honors this week for their performances in the Notre Dame game.

Ward was named the IWLCA Co-Offensive Player of the Week, a national award given by the coaches, while Sweitzer was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week. Ward scored career highs in points (8) and assists (7), while Sweitzer made 8 saves (.533 SV%), had a career high in caused turnovers (3) and tied her career high in ground balls (6).

The Syracuse offense is currently ranking at the top of the country in several statistical categories. The Orange lead the nation in points per game (28.71), assists per game (11.29), and shooting percentage (.542). They’re second in scoring margin (9.29) and third in scoring offense (17.43).

Defensively, Delaney Sweitzer is top-5 nationally in two categories. She is second in the nation in save percentage (.584) and fourth in goals-against average (7.30).