Kayla Treanor ran around the goal looking for any type of opening, but all she saw was a sea of crimson. There was no way to pass. No way to score.

The Orange was up by three just over five minutes into the game. It was about to pull away and Harvard could sense it. Needing a stop to grasp some momentum, a smattering of cheers rose from the Harvard sideline.

But then Treanor found a cutting Devon Collins, who whipped a shot past Harvard goalie Kelly Weis and into the net.

The applause subsided.

“We talked about playing for each other and just playing our game,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said. “And play hard for 60 minutes. And that was the focus and I thought for the most part, the team played well and got that done.”

It didn’t take 60 minutes for the fate of Tuesday night’s game to be decided — only the final score. No. 3 Syracuse (8-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) dominated on offense, outshooting the Crimson (3-3, 1-1 Ivy) nearly three to one as the Orange cruised to a 17-4 win over Harvard at the Carrier Dome in front of 537 fans.

Collins led Syracuse with three goals, but she was far from the only threat as 12 different players got on the scoreboard for SU. In total, the Orange outshot Harvard 37-13.

“I think that we’re just trying to get everyone involved more now,” Collins said, “and I think it’s harder for the defenses to focus when there’s threats coming from all over.”

Treanor and Alyssa Murray — who often find the back of the net — were more busy finding teammates and helped facilitate the collective effort. The duo combined for just three goals, but recorded six assists.

With just under four minutes to play in the first half, Treanor dished it to Taylor Poplawski, who placed it in the bottom-right corner of the net. Poplawski dropped her stick in place and slowly walked over to a crowd of teammates.

“Having people find success all over the field, between the midfield and the attack, it’s going to help us in the long run,” Murray said. “Someone that gives you a goal or two consistently.”

With 26:50 left in the second half and Syracuse up 12-2, the running clock went into effect. Gait stood on the sideline with his hands in his pockets as his offense all but sealed the win.

In the game’s final minutes, Gait subbed in many of his reserves. Players that had barely seen action all season long picked up right where the starters left off.

Devon Parker, Erica Bodt and Grace Donahue — who had combined for just six goals all season heading into the night — all connected in a 10-minute span.

“The offensive subs put the ball in the net,” Gait said. “We were happy. And I guess as they say practice pays off for those players, and they did a nice job. Hopefully they’ll continue to get some more experience down the road.”

In Gait’s postgame press conference, he said he was relieved to get through this game, but that a date with Northwestern on Sunday was already on his mind.

His team knows that a balanced performance like the one it displayed could pay huge dividends as SU’s schedule heats up.

“In the early games of the season you might not know who will have a breakout game in the ACC or the playoffs,” Murray said. “You never know. So having them have those consistent games just builds more confidence, and more confidence for when it really counts.”

Published on March 18, 2014 at 10:59 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3