There were times when Syracuse’s offense worked exactly as it was supposed to. With seven minutes left in the first half, sophomore Sam Swart picked up a ground ball and ran up the field. She threw the ball over Binghamton’s Rebecca Golderman – whose stick was stretched high – and hit Natalie Wallon’s stick. Wallon passed to senior Nicole Levy near the net. Levy caught it and swung the ball into the cage.

It was SU’s sixth goal of the game. The first in over 10 minutes. Last Friday against UConn, No. 11 Syracuse’s (2-0) season opener was defined by the eight goals in eight minutes. On Tuesday against Binghamton (0-1), there were no scoring runs in the 15-5 win. The game, while high scoring on the Orange’s side, was plagued with errors. With 40 shots, Syracuse scored on 37.5 percent of them. Shots missed their mark, going wide or too high over the net.

“On the offensive end we were a little bit sluggish,” SU head coach Gary Gait said, “and not quite focused enough to execute the way we can.”

From the opening draw, with junior Emily Hawryschuk, the misfires hindered SU. Hawryschuk, who had 34 draw controls last season, lifted her stick high on the whistle but to little success. The ball fell to the ground where it was picked up by BU’s Golderman. She took it down the field for a successful clear. Syracuse would gain possession within the minute but not before allowing a shot.

The sloppiness was seen in multiple aspects of SU’s offense. Last season, the Orange were ranked ninth for adjusted offense, per AnalyticsLacrosse.com. This was not that offense. While SU committed 11 turnovers, the offense suffered in other ways.

Messy passes and dropped balls led to 32 total ground balls. Twenty-four of SU’s scoops came in the first half, beating last season’s single-game total. The offense also counted for 18 of the ground balls. The errors caused on offense led to multiple scrambles, often in front of the net while Syracuse had possession.

Other times, messy passes gave the Bearcats opportunities. Late in the first half and coming off the draw, Ella Simkins had won the ball and went to pass to freshman Sarah Cooper. Cooper was running too fast, and the ball flew about a foot behind her. Binghamton gathered the ball. While the Bearcats did nothing with the possession and turned the ball over a minute later, it was a missed scoring chance for the Orange.

After scoring at the 17-minute mark, it took the Orange more than 10 minutes before they found the back of the net again. SU registered 11 shots, over 25 percent of its game total, in the scoreless span. Freshman Meaghan Tyrrell had a shot blocked and then another saved. Mackenzie Baker had her shot blocked and Hawryschuk, senior Julie Cross and freshman Megan Carney had their shots saved as well. Hawryschuk, Cross and Baker registered another shot each and all missed.

And then, Mary Rahal had a breakaway, leaving only the goalie between her and the net. Her attempt flew past the cage, too. Finally, Levy had her assisted goal from Wallon, putting the Orange up 6-0.

“We have to spark more energy out there and really put the game away,” Levy said.

While finding the net was a struggle at times, Syracuse displayed its talent advantage. Last season, the Orange were 19th in RPI while Binghamton was 67th according to AnalyticsLacrosse. This season, Syracuse is ranked in the Inside Lacrosse top-25, Binghamton is not. The disparity in rankings showed on the field. Syracuse was sloppy, but it was able to win and maintain possessions. Gait said that this was what allowed the Orange to get 40 shots off, their highest total since 2017.

Binghamton is not at the same level as Syracuse’s next opponent: No. 1 Boston College. Gait expects the team to come in with a different energy. He anticipated a more efficient outing than Tuesday nights output, when 10 different players found the net.

Levy had three goals, including one off a free position shot. She fired it in without moving closer and flipped her stick in celebration. Morgan Alexander, after scoring her first career goal against UConn, had a goal, this one a behind-the-back shot off an assist by Hawryschuk. In the end, the mistakes didn’t matter.

After the game, Levy said SU assistant coach Caitlin Defliese talked to them in the locker room about their complacency: “Only dead fish go with the flow.”

Published on February 12, 2019 at 8:03 pm

Contact Kaci: klwasile@syr.edu