At the Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina, No. 4 Syracuse (7-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) opened conference play with an 18-8 win over No. 18 Virginia Tech (7-2, 1-1) to extend its winning streak to six. Coming into the game, the Hokies were on a six-game winning streak of their own.

Heading into Sunday’s match, SU head coach Gary Gait was wary of the potential issues VT’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense could pose for the Orange offense. 

“They have a pressure player when the ball’s up top, (who) just follows the ball, with three players just behind that zone up behind the pressure,” Gait said. “It’s very unique.” 

Early on, it appeared Virginia Tech’s pressure defense was working, with the Hokies constantly fouling to stymie Syracuse attacks. The first seven minutes featured more yellow cards (three) than goals (two). 

But after two goals in under a minute from midfielders Vanessa Costantino and Sierra Cockerille, cracks began to show in the Hokies defense that has allowed just six goals per game this season. To that point, Emily Hawryschuk, who entered the day tied with the Hokies’ Paige Petty at 35 atop the NCAA goal-scoring chart, had been kept quiet. 

An Asa Goldstock save led to a Syracuse fast break, with the ball eventually finding Hawryschuk, who dished to Megan Carney on the doorstep to extend the Orange’s lead to three. Minutes later, Virginia Tech’s high-pressure strategy backfired, as Mary Clare McCarthy was shown a red card for a hit to Hawryschuk’s neck and Hokie fans booed the referee’s decision.  

Hawryschuk responded with two quick goals, as Syracuse began to display its typical offensive potency. The Orange ended the half on a 5-1 run, with seven different players scoring in the half. Hawyrschuk added three assists in that span.

The second half was more of the same for Syracuse, as its No. 4 ranked scoring defense kept Petty and the Hokie offense quiet, forcing 17 turnovers and scooping up 24 ground balls, compared to the Hokie defense’s eight. Meanwhile, Hawryschuk’s fourth of the game with just under 10 minutes left gave the Orange a 10-goal advantage — beginning a running clock.  

Hawryschuk and Meaghan Tyrrell both finished with four goals, while Carney also recorded a hat-trick. And with seven points on the day, Hawryschuk moved into sixth all-time in the Orange’s scoring charts. 

Syracuse will look to extend its winning streak to seven on Thursday, as it travels to Charlottesville and faces Virginia as conference play continues.

Published on March 8, 2020 at 4:37 pm

Contact Alex: athamer@syr.edu