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Following its 21-9 thumping of UAlbany, Syracuse traveled to College Park for a tougher assignment against then-No. 7 Maryland. The Terrapins exposed the Orange on the draw control, player-up opportunities and with turnovers. But Caroline Trinkaus and Emma Ward scored hat tricks, and SU managed to escape with a 15-9 win that raised it to No. 4 in the Inside Lacrosse Week 2 Poll.

Just three days after the victory, the Orange returned to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Cornell, which they’d beaten on 14 straight occasions. Leading up to its marquee matchup against No. 2 North Carolina Saturday, SU hoped to take care of business against a Big Red team that it handily defeated last season.

“It feels a little bit like Final Four weekend. You play a really good team and get to turn around and do the same thing in a couple days. So that’d be a great test for us,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said after its win over Maryland Saturday.

Similar to its home opener, No. 4 Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) didn’t hold back against Cornell (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) as it steamrolled the Big Red 18-10. Olivia Adamson, Emma Ward and freshman Molly Guzik set the pace for SU’s attack with five points each as 10 SU players found themselves on the scoreboard.

Despite her struggles in the circle last time out, Treanor elected to put Meghan Rode on the draw to start the game. After scooping up the draw win, Rode began SU’s first offensive possession.

Twenty-four seconds in, Adamson nearly put the Orange ahead, but Cornell’s Ellie Horner came up with the stop. Following a midfield turnover by Sam DeVito, the Big Red went the other way and grabbed a 1-0 lead courtesy of Ella Wilmot. Wilmot’s goal handed SU its first deficit of the season.

Despite Mileena Cotter’s game-tying goal just over two minutes later, the Orange still struggled to add to their initial tally due to continuous turnovers caused by the Big Red. Following three straight SU giveaways, Josie Vogel took advantage of the string of miscues and reclaimed Cornell’s lead.

It took nearly 10 minutes, but Syracuse’s attack finally found its footing in the waning moments of the opening quarter. The Orange embarked on a 5-0 run that included two free position goals. The burst consisted of four different scorers, giving SU a comfortable 6-2 lead by the end of the first quarter.

“The thing I really like about our offense is it’s a real shared offense,” Treanor said. “This is not a one-person show. Everybody that’s on the field is a threat, so we have a lot of balance.”

Cornell responded with a quick goal to start the second quarter. However, SU answered with another prolific run, scoring six unanswered goals in nine minutes.

By halftime, the Orange had stormed out to a commanding 12-5 lead, led by four points from Adamson and Guzik. They neared a 15th straight victory over the Big Red.

After a quick strike by Caitlin Slaminko just 24 seconds into the second half, Gracie Britton quickly responded for the Orange with back-to-back finishes. From there, however, goals were much harder to come by for the remainder of the contest.

In the third quarter alone, both teams turned the ball over five times, failing to find the back of the net for the final 9:12 of the frame.

Trailing 14-6, the Big Red refused to go silently and put up four goals in the final quarter. But with the help of Carlie Desimone’s first career tally, the Orange matched Cornell’s offensive production, preserving their lead until the clock reached triple zeros.

“I don’t believe in the seniority-led leadership position,” Treanor said. “I really think that you can (make) a huge impact whatever grade you’re in. We need everybody to play well and step up.”

In its third straight win to open the season Tuesday, Syracuse showed that the cornerstone of its offensive game plan is trusting everyone to contribute to its success. And with so many freshman contributors, SU is only scratching the surface.

“I think we definitely have a lot to look forward to and build upon. I don’t think we’ve grazed what we’re capable of,” Britton said.

Published on February 18, 2025 at 6:37 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray