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

Following Syracuse’s win over Louisville on March 30, SU head coach Kayla Treanor made a bold yet rational statement about her star attack Emma Tyrrell.

“I really think that kid is playing like a Tewaaraton finalist,” Treanor said.

Tyrrell totaled five goals against the Cardinals just three days after finding the back of the net six times versus Loyola — 11 goals in two games combined.

So when Treanor was asked about her statement a week later after another two-game stretch that featured double-digit goals from Tyrrell, her answer was simple.

“Don’t you agree?” Treanor joked.

Saturday versus Pitt, Tyrrell notched her seventh game in a row scoring four or more points. Her six-goal performance helped No. 3 Syracuse (11-3, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) pull away early and led it past Pittsburgh (4-10, 0-7 ACC) 16-7 for its eighth straight win. Tyrrell’s six goals were the second time she’s tallied that many this season and she’s averaging 5.25 goals per game over SU’s last four games.

“She really just fuels us up,” attack Payton Rowley said postgame of Tyrrell. “She sets such a high standard.”

In SU’s previous game versus Cornell, its attack scored early and often, tallying five goals in the first quarter. Tyrrell scored three in the opening quarter and added one late in the second in an eventual 17-goal outing for the Orange.

Despite four goals, Tyrrell wasn’t satisfied. She was shut out in the second half after Cornell adjusted and had midfielder Annie Parker face-guard her for the final 30 minutes. Tyrrell admitted she started hot but didn’t finish as hot as she had hoped.

Still, the damage was already done. Tyrrell’s four first-half goals gave SU a commanding 11-2 and there was enough firepower outside of Tyrrell to keep the line moving.

Against Pitt, Tyrrell — like versus Cornell — was explosive early.

Following a 3-1 start for Syracuse on a goal from Natalie Smith and two goals from Rowley, Tyrrell received a pass from Olivia Adamson at the edge of the 12-meter with two minutes to go in the opening frame. Tyrrell caught the pass from the right, took two steps toward the goal and fired a shot past Pitt’s Audrey Moran.

Less than 40 seconds later with SU on the player-up, Tyrrell found another opening in the middle, using a pass from Rowley to beat Moran again.

“Her timing is so well, it’s just easy to play with her,” Rowley said of Tyrrell. “We’ve built a lot of chemistry over the season.”

As the first quarter neared the end, Rowley added her third goal then Tyrrell capitalized again. On a free position, Tyrrell beat Moran over her left shoulder for her third goal in two minutes. Suddenly, the 3-1 lead had ballooned to 7-1, mostly off of Tyrrell’s scoring prowess. Still, Tyrrell credited her success to the totality of the attack.

“A lot of offense came from everyone else on the field. They really opened up spaces for me to go,” Tyrrell said postgame.

On another free position chance in the second quarter, Savannah Sweitzer possessed the ball but fed Tyrrell to her left rather than shooting. Tyrrell made quick work of the opportunity, this time beating Pitt’s backup goalie Molly Cain.

If her performance versus Pitt replicated the one against Cornell, that would’ve been the end of the scoring for Tyrrell. But the Panthers didn’t make the necessary adjustments. And Tyrrell made them pay.

After Pitt broke its 26-minute scoreless drought to begin the third quarter, Tyrrell answered with two more goals to further separate the best and the worst teams in the ACC.

Like her first goal, Tyrrell cut through the middle of the 12-meter and received a pass from her right. This time from Rowley, Tyrrell left Pitt defender Maureen McNierney in the dust and fired past Cain for her fifth of the game.

Minutes later, with the Orange up 13-2 and well on their way to their eighth straight win, Tyrrell put the finishing touches on her performance. On another free position chance, Tyrrell drove diagonally from left to right before finding the angle on Cain. She slotted it to the left of Cain, for her sixth goal.

Tyrrell and much of the SU attack found success on free positions throughout the game. She noted that the team didn’t have much success on the chances early in the season but coaches have emphasized it as of late, resulting in better outcomes recently. Three of her goals came on free positions while the team overall went 8-for-14, a 57% mark.

Yet even with another great scoring performance, Tyrrell’s head coach sees her biggest impact in elements outside of scoring. Versus Cornell, with Katie Goodale and Smith not playing, Tyrrell slotted into one of the spots on the wing during the draw, boxing out along the edge of the circle.

Saturday versus Pitt, Treanor noted a defensive play Tyrrell made late in the first quarter that set the tone for the team.

On a saved free position shot, Moran lofted a long pass from her crease to midfielder Jill Fenech. Tyrrell was initially five yards behind Fenech but quickly caught up, chasing her roughly 40 yards down the field until she caused a turnover.

“She just does so much for us. And it’s really more impactful what she does outside of just scoring goals. And I think that’s why she’s playing at such an elite level right now,” Treanor said.

Tyrrell — like many of the SU starters — didn’t touch the field in the fourth quarter as the work was already done. The graduate student once again led the Syracuse attack, helping it to its eighth straight game with 15 or more goals.

“She is an inspiration to all of us,” Rowley said postgame. “Seeing her do well it makes us want to achieve a lot just like her.”

Published on April 6, 2024 at 9:35 pm

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