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Syracuse’s recent five-game stretch has tested its limits. Following a 3-0 start to the campaign, the Orange lost their leading scorer, Olivia Adamson, and were tasked with five straight contests versus ranked opponents.

At first, SU’s season seemed to be trending toward failure. Three straight losses, spiraled the Orange to their lowest ranking under fourth-year head coach Kayla Treanor, and they failed to score double digits in all three games. On the brink of a four-game losing streak for the first time, Syracuse downed then-No. 6 Stanford to skyrocket back up in the Inside Lacrosse Poll and garner its first win in nearly three weeks.

With a big win, however, the Orange were quickly tasked with facing No. 7 Johns Hopkins and took it to overtime. This time, it didn’t go their way. Following a 1-4 stretch against ranked opponents, SU escaped to Pittsburgh Saturday for a much-needed layup. Against the Panthers, the Orange were slowed by an hour-long lightning delay but exploded for five straight scores out of the stoppage. SU built a 10-4 halftime lead it never relinquished despite a late Panthers punch.

Here are some observations from No. 6 Syracuse’s (5-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) 17-11 win over Pitt (5-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) Saturday:

Lightning delay

The beauty of playing in an indoor facility such as the JMA Wireless Dome is that no matter the weather outside, field conditions are always pristine. Rain, sleet or snow, the Orange will go.

But traveling to Pittsburgh and playing at Highmark Stadium meant weather would play a factor. Lightning strikes delayed the game at 11:30 a.m. EDT with 2:22 to play in the first quarter and the Orange leading 4-3. The contest didn’t resume until 12:31 p.m. Following the delay, both attacks came out sloppy, with errant passes in the slippery conditions.

Syracuse eventually settled in after the hour-long break and scored five straight, leading 13-8 the rest of the way.

Rebuilt D

Syracuse’s defense against the Panthers was nearly entirely different from its starting group over a month ago in its season opener. The Orange began the year with a four-person group filled with Kaci Benoit, Coco Vandiver, Lexi Reber and Julia Basciano. Since that point, only Benoit and Vandiver are left standing.

Basciano was injured in SU’s second game against Maryland and hasn’t played since, thrusting junior Superia Clark into the lineup. The Orange stood tall from that point on, but Reber was injured against Johns Hopkins, inserting senior Ana Horvit for the rest of the contest and as a starter against the Panthers. In Pittsburgh, Syracuse’s new defense held its own, allowing 11 goals on 25 shots.

Early on, the unit aided a low-scoring affair where both attacks rarely got going. But SU’s player-to-player defense showed a few cracks as Pitt’s leading scorers Jenna Hendrickson and Sydney Naylor split through the middle to break through. Following the lightning delay, the Orange recalibrated and forced a turnover early in the second quarter, with Clark scooping up a ground ball and sending it the other way.

From the end of the first quarter to the end of the second, SU’s defense held Pitt scoreless for 17 minutes. The drought allowed the Orange to give up its tied-for-least goals in a first half this year (four). Out of the gate in the second half, Benoit forced a turnover, and Syracuse even tested its depth when she was called for a yellow card, inserting Chloe Bethea-Jones. Despite a late push from the Panthers, SU finished with 12 caused turnovers and locked up defensively.

Same old draw story

Syracuse’s success through its Final Four run a year ago was largely placed in its draw unit. After a relatively slow start with Kate Mashewske returning from injury, the Orange won the battle in the circle in their final 11 games. Replacing Mashewske’s production has been no easy task, and SU has attempted to do so with a cast of characters.

Meghan Rode’s early struggles led to the insertion of Joely Caramelli into the fold. Since Caramelli took over against Stanford, Syracuse’s unit has won the draw battle by two in each game. The margin has exemplified an inconsistent model, which continued against the Panthers. The Orange won four of the first five draws to build a 3-1 lead. But a Pitt push quickly evened the score. Even with the Panthers’ draw control leader Aidan Carr rarely appearing in the contest, Jill Fenech gave SU trouble.

At halftime, Pitt led 9-7 in the circle despite Caramelli’s game-high five and the Orange up six goals. The Panthers added on in the second half to cut into their deficit. Pitt won the first five draw controls of the second half while winning the third quarter 4-1.

Syracuse battled back in the fourth with five-straight wins and ended the game at a 14-17 margin, once again proving an up-and-down showing to strike a closer contest than needed.

Silencing Ward

With and without Adamson this season, Emma Ward has been the key cog in any Syracuse attacking success. Through its first eight games, she led the team in goals (18), assists (21) and points (39). Ward’s point total is 20 more than the next best, Caroline Trinkaus with 19. However, Ward didn’t record a point until 11 seconds left in the first half of the Orange’s contest with the Panthers.

SU still had its attack going despite Ward playing largely as an off-ball distributor, totaling nine goals before Ward registered an assist. Her presence alone opens up Syracuse’s attack, as teams often must double or face-guard her and leave other SU players with more opportunities. The Orange tallied 10 first-half goals from eight different goal scorers despite Ward not being involved in the finishing touches.

Ward’s presence allowed sophomores Alexa Vogelman and Caramelli to tally two each in the first half. In the second frame, Pitt further established its strategy against Ward. The Panthers weren’t going to let her beat them and instead harassed her with fouls. She tallied her first goal at the beginning of the fourth, ripping a shot past Molly Cain.

SU’s leading scorer finished with one goal and two points but opened its attack throughout the afternoon. The Orange tallied 10 different goal scorers, and 11 players recorded points, resulting in a 17-goal display.

Guyette struggles

All year, Syracuse goalie Daniella Guyette has been the key bright spot for the Orange. Her 10.25 saves per game led the Atlantic Coast Conference entering Saturday’s slate, and she’s already posted four games with a .500-plus save percentage this season. Versus Johns Hopkins Monday, Guyette tallied her worst game yet with seven saves on 21 shots faced. Saturday against the Panthers, she posted another dud.

Guyette finished with four saves on 15 shots faced, a .267 save percentage. Her poor third-quarter performance allowed Pitt back into the game to cut the deficit to two in the second half. Guyette only made two saves on six shots faced in the third frame. The Panthers used cutters within their three-game weave game along both sides to split the offense in half.

These cutters, largely Hendrickson, Kaitlyn Giandonato and Naylor, took dishes from Avery Moon and beat Guyette low. The Panthers’ push put a scare in the Orange, but Guyette and SU did just enough late to hold on.

Published on March 15, 2025 at 2:38 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky