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Coming off a loss for the first time since March 5, No. 1 seed Syracuse took care of business versus No. 9 seed Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals. After trailing 3-2 in the first quarter, the Orange embarked on a 6-0 run, leading to a dominant 17-8 win. In the win, a season-high nine SU players scored.

Syracuse’s win earned it a semifinal bout with No. 5 seed Virginia, who defeated No. 4 seed North Carolina 13-12. On March 23, the Orange traveled to Charlottesville and beat the Cavaliers 15-14 propelled by Maddy Baxter’s career-high five goals. It was a back-and-forth contest, but SU prevailed after out-scoring UVA 3-1 in the fourth quarter.

In the second meeting, the Orange dominated. Throughout its wire-to-wire blowout win, Syracuse never trailed while it allowed a tied-for season-low four goals. The Orange will face the winner of No. 2 seed Notre Dame and No. 3 seed Boston College in the ACC Tournament final on Sunday — its first under head coach Kayla Treanor.

Here are some observations from No. 1 seed Syracuse’s (14-4, 8-1 ACC) 19-4 ACC Tournament semifinal win over No. 5 seed Virginia (14-4, 6-3 ACC):

Flawless start

In SU’s win over Louisville, Olivia Adamson — Syracuse’s leading point-scorer in the regular season — had just one point. She matched that total 68 seconds into the Orange’s contest versus UVA. After Kate Mashewske won the opening draw, SU worked the ball around the field before finding Emma Ward at X.

From there, Ward quickly fed Adamson near the cage before she beat UVA goalie Melissa Josephson for the game’s first score. Following another win in the circle from Mashweske, which led Emma Tyrrell to push the ball downfield, Adamson drew nylon again. After receiving the ball in a similar spot near the cage, she was double-teamed. Because of the pressure, Adamson shot behind her back, igniting SU’s best quarter of the season.

Unlike their game against the Cardinals, the Orange didn’t let up after commanding a 2-0 lead. Tyrrell — Syracuse’s leading scorer — netted her first goal at the 12:23 mark. Though Ward soon after missed a shot trying to extend SU’s lead to four, Delaney Sweitzer notched her second save, which led to Ward gaining a free position shot a minute later — which she drained.

Over the final 10 minutes of the first quarter, the Orange remained aggressive. Natalie Smith scored the next two goals off free position opportunities before scores from Emma Muchnick and Joely Caramelli capped off an 8-0 first quarter.

Draw dominance

Much of Syracuse’s offensive explosion stemmed from Mashewske’s dominance in the circle. UVA called upon freshman Kate Galica to oppose SU’s all-time leader in draw control wins. Yet there was nothing Galica could do to stop Mashewske.

After losing 3-of-4 draws to begin the game, Virginia trailed 4-0 and turned to Kiki Shaw looking for a spark. But Shaw was just as helpless as Galica, losing 7-of-8 draws. This prompted the Cavaliers to turn to Lauren Pederson, who also struggled. Upon entering the circle in the second quarter, Pederson and UVA didn’t win a draw for the rest of the first half.

At the 7:15 mark of the second quarter, the Cavaliers asked the officials to check Mashewske’s stick. This was the second time this season a team asked to check Mashewske’s stick, as Louisville also did so on March 30 — where SU went 24-for-36 in the circle. Just like the officials did a month ago, they ruled nothing was wrong with the draw specialist’s stick.

This prompted Mashewske to perform a Michael Jordan-esque shrug, as she trotted back onto the field. Throughout the game, Syracuse won 22-of-25 draws, with Mashewske winning 16. The Orange’s +19 draw control differential was their season best.

Defense stands out

Thanks to Mashewske’s draw control dominance, SU’s defense was lightly tasked throughout the contest. In the first quarter, UVA accumulated just two shots on goal — both of which were stopped by Sweitzer. In addition to their misfires, the Cavaliers turned the ball over three times in the opening quarter; two of which turned into Syracuse goals.

Though Mashewske won the opening draw control of the second quarter, UVA forced a turnover, allowing its offense to get out in transition. As the Cavaliers neared the cage, they slowed down before finding Madison Alaimo at X. The freshman attack then swung the ball to Morgan Schwab, who netted Virginia’s first goal of the game at the 13:42 mark of the second quarter.

A turnover from Adamson on the ensuing possession led to another opportunity for the Cavaliers to score, but SU’s defense bounced back. After forcing an errant shot from Shaw, Syracuse forced a shot clock violation.

From there, the Cavaliers didn’t register another shot in the first half, helping the Orange command a 13-1 halftime lead. In the second half, SU’s zone continued its dominance, allowing just two goals over the final 30 minutes. Syracuse’s four goals allowed were tied for its fewest of the season, matching its total versus Cornell from April 2.

Balanced attack keeps thriving

After Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney — SU’s all-time points leader and leading 2023 scorer, respectively — graduated from the program, Syracuse featured a new-look balanced attack in 2024. Though without two of the best players in the program’s history, the Orange began their season 3-3.

Yet from there, the new-look attack rapidly developed, helping SU embark on a nine-game winning streak averaging 17.33 goals per game. Propelled by the winning streak, Syracuse earned its first outright regular season ACC title.

In their first game as a No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, the Orange’s balanced attack thrived. With a season-high nine goal scorers, Syracuse easily cruised to a quarterfinal win. In the semifinals against Virginia, that same balance led it to the ACC Tournament final.

After Adamson scored SU’s first two goals, the next three were scored by Tyrrell, Ward and Smith — the Orange’s four leaders in points. By the third quarter, all four players had hat tricks. Adamson led the team with four, while Tyrrell, Ward and Smith finished with three.

Meanwhile, Baxter, Sweitzer, Muchnick, Caramelli and Gracie Britton also netted goals. This is the second consecutive game nine Syracuse players scored, a season high.

Published on April 26, 2024 at 7:31 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon