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Syracuse begins its 2024 season Saturday with a daunting task on the road: No. 1 Northwestern in the opening game for the second season in a row.

The Orange are coming off a historic season in 2023 in which they started 15-0 before losing their final regular season game against Boston College. The poor ending carried into the ACC and NCAA tournaments where Syracuse fell in the semifinals of both.

“I think every team and every season is so different and so unique,” SU third-year head coach Kayla Treanor said at a media availability on Feb. 6. “For us right now, it’s really finding our identity for 2024.”

On the other side, the Wildcats are the defending NCAA champions and No. 1 team in the nation in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll.

Here’s everything you need to know before Syracuse (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) faces Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten):

All-time series

Northwestern leads 16-8.

Last time they played…

In a rematch of the 2022 NCAA quarterfinals, where SU fell 15-4, the then-No. 5 Orange fared far differently, winning a nail-biting game at the JMA Wireless Dome in the final minutes 16-15.

The contest began with the two top five teams trading goals. But in the second quarter, Syracuse’s offense broke out, outscoring the Wildcats 6-2. The Wildcats stuck with SU throughout the second half, tying the game with less than five minutes remaining. In the final minutes, Meaghan Tyrrell took over. Tyrrell dished to her sister, Emma, for Syracuse’s 15th goal before scoring one of her own to put the game away.

The opening game win on Feb. 11 against then-No. 4 Northwestern catapulted SU on a winning streak where it would not lose a game until April 20.

The Wildcats report

Northwestern enters the contest as the defending national champions with the reigning Tewaaraton award winner in Izzy Scane. Since its loss to Syracuse, the Wildcats have won 21 straight.

Scane returns for the Wildcats along with much of its core from last year’s championship team. Erin Coykendall (108 points) and Madison Taylor (70 points and Big Ten Freshman of the Year) return to the attack unit while transfers Mary Schumar (Marquette) and Lindsey Frank (Richmond) add to a group that led the nation in shots per game (36.32) and scoring offense (16.95).

The Wildcats lost their second leading goal scorer in Hailey Rhatigan (62 goals) but added reinforcements through the transfer portal for 2024. Northwestern also returns its goalie and draw control specialist from a year ago. Molly Laliberty was eighth-best in goals against average with 8.60 while Samantha Smith averaged 5.5 draw controls per game and totaled eight in the national championship against Boston College.

How SU beats Northwestern

Facing the No. 1 team and top offensive unit in the opening game of the season is no easy task for any team. But it will be especially difficult for Syracuse, a team that lost its two leading goal scorers from last season.

Fernanda Kligerman| Design Editor

If the Orange can get their new look attack going early, they will have a great chance at pulling off the road upset. Falling behind early to Northwestern means playing a game of catch-up. While SU has IWLCA goalie of the year Delaney Sweitzer in net after a strong offseason, the Wildcats’ attack scored 15 or more goals in 17-of-22 games last season. Emma Tyrrell, Emma Ward and the rest of SU’s attack can’t go through any offensive droughts or else it’ll have a tough time against the Wildcats.

“I think it’s a new year so they’re champs last year and we want to be champs this year,” Ward said. “So I think it’s all about the mindset you go into it with and you have to go in with the mindset that you’re more prepared, more skilled and more ready.”

If SU can stay in the game and keep it close entering the fourth quarter, its star attack could step up in the final minutes, much like it did in the matchup last season.

Stat to know: 8.05

Northwestern doesn’t just win games. It wins big. In 2023, the Wildcats led the nation in scoring margin with 8.05. Northwestern totaled 373 goals while only allowing 196. In the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, semifinals and championship, the Wildcats won by at least eight goals in each.

Despite the Wildcats having a tendency to blow teams out of the water, Syracuse had their number last season, winning by one goal in Northwestern’s only loss of the season.

Player to watch: Izzy Scane, attack, No. 27

Scane enters 2024 as the reigning Tewaaraton award winner, IWLCA player of the year and a IWLCA First-Team All American. In Inside Lacrosse’s preseason player ranking, Scane is the No. 1 overall player on the women’s side.

In 2023, Scane was coming off of a redshirt season, but quickly cemented herself as the best attack in the nation. The Wildcats’s offense runs through Scane, who led the NCAA in points per game with 6.70. The next closest was her teammate Coykendall, who was 1.79 points behind.

Published on February 7, 2024 at 11:55 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky