Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Against then-No. 7 Loyola on March 27, SU draw control specialist Kate Mashewske won just three draw controls as the Greyhounds won the battle in the circle 19-12. SU head coach Kayla Treanor replaced Mashewske with Olivia Adamson early in the game.

But after being reentered, Mashewske led Syracuse on a 5-4 run in draws to end the second quarter, powering it to a one-goal halftime lead. Then in the third quarter, SU won the battle in the circle 5-1 while also outscoring Loyola 5-1. The third-quarter success by Mashewkse led the Orange to a 16-13 win over Loyola.

Mashewske followed that up by bouncing back with 16 against Louisville – a game she broke the program’s all-time record in draw controls. Then two more double-digit draw-win performances versus Cornell and Pitt in her next two games.

Against Clemson (9-6, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), Mashewske led No. 2 Syracuse (12-3, 8-0 ACC) to a 17-6 win in the circle en route to a 15-6 win. During the first half, Mashewske led SU to nine-straight wins in the draw circle during an 8-0 scoring run. The run powered SU to a 9-1 lead as it held on to win its ninth straight game and remained unbeaten in ACC play. Mashewske won 10 draws to mark the fourth-straight game that she has tallied double-digit draw controls.

“(Mashewske) has been playing great, she’s been consistent,” Treanor said postgame. “We can trust her a lot and she was awesome today.”

Entering Saturday, Clemson ranked No. 10 program in the nation in draw control percentage, according to Lacrosse Reference. Ella Little and Megan Halczuk entered the contest with 40 or more draw wins on the season. But Halczuk did not appear in the game, leaving Mashewske to face Little for most of it.

At the opening whistle, Little and Mashewske matched up and Natalie Shurtleff was first to the loose ball. After losing to begin the game, Mashewske did not lose a draw until the 11:15 mark of the second quarter.

Following a Payton Rowley goal at the 9:39 mark of the first quarter, Mashewske won the draw, sparking a 9-0 run in the circle. Clemson made it 1-1, but from there, the Orange took over the game with Mashewske helping the cause.

With under four minutes to go in the first quarter, Adamson netted a goal on a free-position shot to ignite the Orange offense. Mashewske followed the score by working the ball to Katie Goodale off the draw and Adamson recorded her second goal just 26 seconds later, giving SU a 3-1 lead.

Mashewske won the next two draws as SU scored three more goals to take a 6-1 lead into the second quarter. To start the second, Rowley netted her second goal 18 seconds into the quarter and Mashewske got the ball back for Syracuse leading to another quick score by Emma Ward.

In the last game, a 16-7 win over Pitt on April 6, when Mashewske finished with 15 wins in the draw circle, Rowley credited Mashewske with providing momentum to the offense.

“Every time she gets to the draw, we score and you can see that every game,” Rowley said.

Emma Tyrrell tallied her second goal of the game at the 11:15 mark of the second quarter as SU increased its lead to 9-1. Syracuse’s 9-0 run in the circle allowed it to build a lead causing Clemson to take a timeout. When play resumed, Little won the draw ending the SU run in the circle.

Clemson ended its 15-minute scoring drought, cutting the deficit to 9-2 with 6:12 left in the second quarter. In response, the Orange won two of the next three draws and entered halftime ahead 10-3 while leading draws 11-3.

Out of the halftime break, Clemson started with possession and scored in just 10 seconds. Despite the Tigers cutting it to a six-goal game, Mashewske mustered up the next draw to take away any potential Clemson momentum. SU added two goals in the third and entered the fourth quarter leading 12-4.

The Tigers struck first in the fourth quarter, but again Mashewske killed their chance of getting another quick score. Mashewske won the ensuing draw, which sparked a 3-0 SU scoring run.

Adamson scored her third goal of the game at the 6:21 mark, causing a running clock. Mashewske got the ball to Goodale off the next draw but a turnover by SU led to a Clemson score, making it 15-6 SU.

With the Tigers looking to make a late push, Mashewske again worked the ball to Goodale on the perimeter of the circle. Syracuse won 5-of-6 draws during the fourth quarter, as it finished the game behind Mashewske’s dominance. Little tallied just four wins compared to Mashewske’s 10.

“Kate is really starting to hit her stride and play well and put together consecutive games of just dominating the draws,” Treanor said on April 5. “So we need her to continue to do that for us to be successful.”

Published on April 13, 2024 at 5:16 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32