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Syracuse was off to a slow and lethargic start on offense. The Orange were out of sorts on the offensive end, littered with uncharacteristic turnovers and missed chances. After 13 minutes without a goal, Olivia Adamson finally stepped up.

Trailing 1-0, Adamson charged in from the right wing, but her angle got tighter with every step. As she got to the crease, Adamson fired a bullet to the top left corner, hitting the ball off the post and in to tie the game at 1-1.

Just a minute later, Natalie Smith controlled the ball on the right side and located Adamson cutting to the middle. With her back to the goal, Adamson spun and fired a shot that hit the top of the net and gave SU the lead.

Adamson’s contributions on the offensive end and at the draw circle helped Syracuse (18-2, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) defeat James Madison (19-3, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) 13-7. The sophomore’s first-half hat trick boosted the Orange’s offense while their top point-getters got off to a slow start. Adamson recorded a game-high six points (four goals and two assists). She recorded nine draw controls, which matched JMU’s total from the afternoon.

“Olivia led us on the draw and on offense and really, I think put the team on our back today when we were struggling early,” said head coach Kayla Treanor.

Adamson picked up the slack as Syracuse’s “Big 4” of Megan Carney, Emma Ward and Emma and Meaghan Tyrrell struggled. In the first half none of Syracuse’s top four point getters registered a single one. It was Adamson who stepped up in multiple ways. Along with scoring a hat trick in the first half, she also dominated the draw controls.

Even though Syracuse wasn’t taking advantage of its opportunities on offense, Adamson helped keep the ball out of the hands of a dangerous JMU attack. Going up against Tewaaraton finalist Isabella Peterson, Adamson dominated in the draw circle.

When Kate Mashewske went down with a season-ending injury earlier in the year, there were question marks surrounding who would step up in her absence. In seven games, Mashewske controlled 70 draws, but now Adamson has established herself as Syracuse’s best option. Her 90 draws is the most out of anybody on the team.

Along with scoring the most goals in the country (89) and ranking second in goals per game (4.24), Peterson also came in with 87 draw controls. Adamson held her to just three draw controls in the game along with just two goals.

“The circle was amazing today,” Adamson said. “Katie Goodale, Sierra Cockerille, Emma Tyrell. They’re amazing players and like the best teammates to have on the circle. We were just trying to figure out different ways that we could beat them.”

With time winding down in the first half, Syracuse needed another spark. After being held scoreless for over 20 minutes, James Madison scored two goals in less than a minute to tie the game at 3-3. Meaghan controlled possession from the right wing as Adamson flashed to the middle. Adamson caught the ball while turning and fired a shot into the roof of the net for a first-half hat trick with 29 seconds left in the half.

Adamson often found herself in front of the crease, trying to exploit James Madision’s zone defense. She constantly found soft spots in the zone, which gave her scoring chances.

“Our players up top did a great job dodging and drawing that defense,” Adamson said. “We have so many threats that it’s impossible to cover all seven of us.”

Along with her four goals, Adamson also dished out two assists. After a ground ball scramble, a misplaced pass from JMU allowed Adamson to pounce. She beat Buchanan to the ball before finding Ward, who ripped a shot into the net, putting Syracuse up 7-3 early in the third quarter.

With James Madison threatening to make a comeback, Adamson helped close the door. Once again, she found herself open in front of the crease. Smith dished it to her and she finished for her fourth goal of the game, giving Syracuse a five-goal advantage, its biggest of the game.

“Today it was Olivia Adamson’s day. She’s just an amazing offensive player who doesn’t really get a ton of credit,” Treanor said.

Published on May 18, 2023 at 4:45 pm

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