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Pitt’s answer to slowing Syracuse’s attack Saturday was simple: erase Emma Ward and the rest would follow.

Through SU’s first eight games, Ward led the team in goals (18), assists (21) and points (39). Her point total was 20 more than SU’s next best, Caroline Trinkaus, with 19. The Panthers did just what they intended, holding Ward off the scoresheet through nearly the game’s first 30 minutes. But they didn’t realize the impact she has off the scoresheet.

Despite Ward tallying a season-low two points on one goal and one assist, No. 6 Syracuse (5-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) defeated Pitt (5-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) 17-11, scoring its most goals in its last six games. Even while being limited from finding the back of the net herself, Ward composed SU’s highly efficient orchestra, leading to 10 different goal scorers and 11 players tallying points.

“She’s totally bought into us playing team offense,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said postgame of Ward. “If it’s her day, awesome. If it’s not, it’s great for somebody else.”

Ward’s days as the underclassmen filling into a sidebar role are long gone. As a freshman in 2021, she was thrust into action following injuries to star attackers Megan Carney and Emily Hawryschuk. Along the way, she’s been the lead facilitator to elite goal scorers like Carney and Hawryschuk, but also Meaghan and Emma Tyrrell.

She’s now the elder stateswoman of the squad. In 2025, Ward’s next scoring partner was supposed to be Olivia Adamson. But Adamson’s season-ending injury makes Ward the only true, experienced scorer left.

“She’s clearly our vocal leader out there. She has a really high IQ, and the players all listen,” Treanor said.

As the clear leader of SU’s attack, Pitt sent everything her way. Early on, Ward trotted around X, and the Panthers’ zone defense berated her with stick checks. Treanor said the tactic of constant fouls on Ward was to limit her and the offense’s flow, forcing SU to restart and take the ball from the side dots behind the net.

Pitt used this tactic often, committing eight fouls to Syracuse’s two through the opening quarter. The reasoning was for good measure. Ward’s proven she can take over games if not attended to correctly. Other teams this season have face-guarded her tightly, but she’s still broken through, notching four or more points in seven of SU’s first eight games.

But even when she’s not scoring, she’s a proven architect of the Orange’s attack. With Syracuse leading 4-3 with 11 minutes left in the second quarter, midfielder Emma Muchnick dished the ball to Carlie Desimone in the right corner. As Desimone collected, Ward moved off of X into the middle of the fan, clearing room and directing a pass to Trinkaus on the opposite end of X. Ward then checked back into X, carrying her defender with her as Muchnick split through the wide-open middle to receive a dish from Trinkaus, which she buried to grow the lead.

Ward’s contributions remained unseen by the measuring statistics. As the Orange mounted a 6-0 run to go up 9-3, she dished to freshman Mileena Cotter. The freshman broke into a running start from outside the fan and moved inside to tickle the twine.

The star attacker eventually got on the scoreboard with 11 seconds remaining in the first half. Perched at X, Ward drew three players toward her when she shifted from the right to the left side. With players crashing down, she passed to attacker Molly Guzik, who ripped it from deep into the top right corner.

At half, SU led 10-4 with eight different goal scorers, none being its leading scorer on the year.

“It’s a very balanced attack,” Treanor said. “We love to see a lot of different names in the scoring sheet, and that makes us a lot harder to defend.”

Out of the break, the Panthers went back to their fouling style. Fifth-year defender Abby Thorne gave repeated stick checks to Ward’s left shoulder as she attempted to turn the corner, prompting quick whistles from the referees. The Orange moved Ward away from X at times to give her better scoring chances. But she was still stifled as SU’s attack saw less of the ball due to its draw control unit, led by Joely Caramelli, having a difficult third quarter after an impressive first half.

Less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, Ward broke through for her first goal of the day. Off a free position chance for Trinkaus, she dished back to Ward at the top of the key. She reared back and fired it past Molly Cain in net, building a 12-8 lead.

That was all Ward could muster on the day. Despite shortcomings on the scoresheet, she remained the leader of the unit. After each goal, she huddles the group, analyzing the sequences that made the possession work and evaluating what they must do to replicate the success.

Within possessions, she’s doing the same, pointing out the next pass, leading to much-needed goals. Saturday, Ward played a different role on the scoresheet, rarely appearing. But her role as SU’s lead director still opened the doors to an offensive explosion.

“Even if it’s not showing up in her points, we always feel her presence,” Caramelli said of Ward.

Published on March 15, 2025 at 4:54 pm

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