When Taylor Poplawski walked out through the tunnel of the Carrier Dome on Sunday and onto the turf for her first home game, she had many thoughts run through her mind.

It was the same field that she had watched her heroes play on from the stands while she grew up. It was the same field that she had practiced on in front of nearly 50,000 empty seats.

But that day, it was, for the first time, her home field.

And she was nervous.

“I just tried to do what I could. Just mellowed myself out,” Poplawski said. “And focused on what I needed to get done. Focused on some major points of what to do.”

Now a freshman for the Orange, Poplawski, a Syracuse native, is having an incredible start to her freshman season. She ranks third on the team in goals scored with 10 and is seeing significant playing time behind attacks Alyssa Murray and Kayla Treanor, on the nation’s top-scoring team.

Poplawski will look to continue her impressive start when the Orange travels to Boston College on Wednesday for a 2 p.m. start in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“It’s not like she’s coming in trying to do too much,” Murray said. “She’s just really playing off of us really well and taking our advice and the coaches’ advice and just striving off of that.”

In her first Dome game last Sunday against Canisius, she scored a game-high four goals. She score three of those in the span of 1:40 to end the first half, which put the game out of the Golden Griffins’ reach.

“It was pretty amazing. It was a pretty cool experience,” Poplawski said. “I was nervous but I tried to stay composed and do my best.”

Poplawski stands at just 5 feet, 2 inches. Her stature doesn’t intimidate. Her voice doesn’t boom. It’s her confidence that helps her stand out.

When asked when she started to realize that Syracuse might be a legitimate possibility for her during high school, she paused. She tried to think of a specific time.

But there wasn’t one. Syracuse was the only school that she could ever picture herself playing at.

“To be here is literally a dream come true,” Poplawski said. “I’ve worked so hard my high school career to be here and play for such a great team. It’s really an honor.”

She grew up playing high school lacrosse with Taylor Gait at the Christian Brothers Academy. SU head coach Gary Gait, who is Taylor Gait’s father, would watch them play and was impressed with what he saw from Poplawski.

Gary Gait wanted Poplawski, and Poplawski wanted Syracuse. It was a mutual fit.

“She developed into a great high school player and we were definitely interested in having her come to Syracuse pretty young,” Gait said. “We got to see her play, and thought she’d be a good fit here.”

Coming into the season, Poplawski was one of the few freshmen that Gait predicted would have an immediate effect on his team, and he was right.

But even though Poplawski is turning heads in just her first four games for the Orange, she still insists she has to prove what it takes.

Poplawski knows the team she is on is stacked with experienced, championship-caliber players. It’s made people expect a lot of her, and she’s not shying away.

“There is a lot of pressure,” Poplawski said. “But I do feel like I play better knowing that there is that pressure, knowing that we do have expectations.

“Not only for myself, but for the team.”

Published on February 25, 2014 at 11:01 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3