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When Kate Mashewske, who registered the second-most draw controls in program history, graduated after Syracuse’s Final Four run last season, head coach Kayla Treanor had to find a replacement. She had options, including star attack Olivia Adamson and incoming freshman Molly Guzik. Still, Treanor chose junior Meghan Rode, who had little collegiate experience but learned under Mashewske, to start her career.

“Being able to watch Kate for the past two years was definitely a great experience,” Rode said. “That really helped my confidence, and we just have a great group of girls, so (it was a) pretty easy transition.”

However, as No. 10 Syracuse’s (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) primary draw specialist through its first six games, Rode has struggled. She’s totaled just 28 draw wins, and the unit has won 66 of 164 (40.2%) draws. The Orange desperately need to find success on the draw soon if they want to reach their third straight Final Four and win their first National Championship.

Despite tearing her ACL three times in 2018, 2019, and 2022 — sidelining her for most of her high school career — Rode’s coaching experience and high school success have equipped her to thrive at SU. She won back-to-back Nassau County championships at Garden City High School (New York) and began coaching draw techniques to middle and high school girls for her club, Long Island Liberty Lacrosse, her junior year, which strengthened her confidence.

“It really does help to teach (kids), because you’re kind of reteaching yourself,” Long Island Liberty coach Danielle Gallagher said. “You’re going through certain steps with the player of what you need to do.”

Prior to this season, Treanor said the draw would be a rotation between Adamson, Guzik and Rode. In her debut versus UAlbany, Rode collected a career-high 11 draw wins, helping Syracuse win the draw battle 19-14. But it’s all been downhill from there.

Rode was replaced by Adamson in the circle against then-No. 7 Maryland, Guzik against No. 2 North Carolina and Joely Caramelli versus then-No. 12 Clemson after continued struggles. SU hasn’t had a draw control advantage since its season-opener, including 17-6 and 17-4 disparities versus No. 3 Northwestern and the Tigers, respectively.

Meghan Rode battles on the draw in Syracuse’s 9-8 loss to then-No. 12 Clemson. Rode was replaced by Joely Caramelli and Molly Guzik in the circle versus the Tigers, leading to a 17-4 disparity. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer

With Adamson ruled out for the season with a lower-body injury, SU’s draw unit has become even more depleted. But through it all, Rode has remained the starter.

“It’s something that we’re just gonna have to evaluate and do whatever’s best for the team,” Treanor said after defeating Maryland. “But we have a lot of faith in Meg.”

Rode’s struggles this season contrast with her high-school dominance, where she mastered the draw and honed her game through coaching.

Per teammate Caitlin McNaboe, Rode constantly played wall ball with herself and would ask the now-Marist midfielder to shoot together, even when she was injured. She’d also watch film, create opponent scouting reports and know all of the Trojans’ plays. Rode was a constant presence on the sidelines during games, giving advice to teammates when they ran off the field.

“She would know the players. She’d know who’s matching up with who, what hand the goalie is, what she’s good at, whether she’s good high or low,” McNaboe said. “So I think she knew enough to be helping us out on the sideline.”

Rode also contributed as an assistant coach as a junior in high school. In club lacrosse, there’s usually only one head coach and one assistant per team. But coach Daniella Etrasco convinced its director to let Rode become its second assistant.

Her responsibilities as coach included running middle and high school players through offensive plays, including how to creatively dodge and finish strong with two hands. She’d also design stick work drills to run with Etrasco and assist goalie warmups since she was a strong shooter — finishing with 29 goals as a sophomore.

“She can handle the ball well, see the defense shift and know what you’re supposed to do,” Etrasco said. “So on a sideline, she was really good taking a one-on-one approach.”

But Rode’s calling card was the draw. When healthy for parts of her sophomore and junior years, she dominated for both Garden City and Long Island Liberty. Her 5-foot-10 frame helped her out-jump opponents and snag the ball out of the air often. She also told her teammates where to start outside the circle to have the best chance to scoop up loose balls.

Rode’s expertise made her a go-to resource for Gallagher, who leaned on her to teach the draw. She emphasized the importance of figuring out an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and if they were giving away their first move. Players must make adjustments every time or they won’t succeed, Rode stressed. During games, she’d pinpoint opponents’ strategies and guide teammates on how to counter them.

“I definitely love to coach,” Rode said. “Just being able to teach younger girls X’s and O’s kind of breaks it down and brings it back to the basics.”

Rode’s coaching experience has helped her with communication on the draw at Syracuse. Per Etrasco, draw specialists need to command their group, including fixing positioning issues to build trust.

Despite inconsistencies in execution this year, Rode has done that at SU, starting from its season opener against UAlbany.

“Even before the game, we had communication,” sophomore midfielder Alexa Vogelman said after Syracuse’s bout with the Great Danes. “(Rode) led that, and she did a really good job communicating in the game exactly where she wanted us to be and where the ball was going to go.”

Published on March 4, 2025 at 9:57 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99