Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Entering No. 4 Syracuse’s contest versus Duke, Emma Tyrrell had just six goals and seven points through SU’s first four contests. While the totals still ranked in the top five on the team, they weren’t up to her 52-goal mark from last season, when she trailed Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney.

In Tyrrell’s slow start, Natalie Smith and Olivia Adamson emerged early in the season, helping SU to a 2-2 start and No. 4 national ranking, including an upset victory Feb. 24 over then-No. 2 Notre Dame on the road.

Against Duke Saturday, Tyrrell broke out in her best performance of the 2024 campaign thus far, totaling a game-high five goals including a personal 3-0 run in the first quarter to lead Syracuse (3-2, 2-0 ACC) to a 15-8 drubbing of Duke (3-4, 0-2 ACC).

“I thought Emma Tyrrell on offense really stepped up,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said postgame. “She had a great week of practice and you get to really see that on gameday today.”

Though Tyrrell didn’t stand out in SU’s first four games, she still tallied two goals in SU’s games versus then-No. 9 Maryland and then-No. 2 Notre Dame. Against the Fighting Irish, Tyrrell took a pass from Emma Ward along the goal crease and beat Lilly Callahan to extend SU’s lead to three in a 16-14 win.

While it was a significant goal, it wasn’t the production Tyrrell usually provided. She totaled three goals or more in 10-of-20 games in 2023 but had yet to through SU’s first four contests this season.

Whatever the struggles were, Tyrrell quickly put it to rest versus Duke. Before Saturday’s game, the Blue Devils ranked 92nd in the nation in defensive efficiency with a 33.2% mark, according to Lacrosse Reference.

Treanor identified the defensive unit as one that often switches between zone and man-to-man defense and makes frequent substitutions. Because of this, Treanor explained a key to getting ahead early would be attacking early in possessions.

“We wanted to attack them before they were set up and I thought we did a great job of that early,” Treanor said.

After SU jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Payton Rowley, Meghan Rode and Ward, Tyrrell stepped up.

Tyrrell circled the perimeter of the 12-meter as Ward controlled possession at the top. Under Ward’s direction, Tyrrell shifted open to the left, collecting the ball five yards behind the 12-meter. With momentum toward the goal, Tyrrell sprinted to the net with Julia Schwasnick pushing her outside.

She then stopped all momentum with a spin back to the inside. As Schwasnick faded on the spin move, Tyrrell quickly pivoted to the right, setting up a one-on-one with Duke goalie Kennedy Everson. She buried the opportunity, extending SU’s lead to four. Just over two minutes later, Tyrrell worked with Adamson to score two more goals.

On the player-up, Tyrrell dished to Adamson while cutting to the net. Adamson immediately fed the ball back to Tyrrell, who beat Everson over her right shoulder. Forty-eight seconds after her second goal, Tyrrell took the feed from Adamson in a similar position and beat Everson for the third time in three minutes.

Tyrrell’s three-goal breakout already had her above her game-high for goals in a game this season and gave SU a comfortable 6-0 run. All three of Tyrrell’s goals came with over 40 seconds remaining on the shot clock, a testament to the plan Treanor had inserted throughout the week.

“We’ve been practicing that all week,” Tyrrell said postgame. “So it was really just executing the game plan. I really think that’s something that we got to do moving forward.”

Late in the second quarter, Tyrrell added on in a similar fashion. Thirty seconds into the shot clock, she attacked the goal in a one-on-one situation, speeding past Sydney Smith to beat Everson to the top right corner.

With SU leading 13-4 midway through the fourth quarter, Tyrrell once again dodged a defender on a one-on-one matchup and tallied her fifth goal of the game — her most since a seven-goal performance versus John Hopkins in the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament.

While Tyrrell had a huge goal in the fourth quarter versus Notre Dame a week ago, she didn’t specifically credit that goal for the fast start and big performance against Duke.

“I’d say it was the win overall really built and gave us the energy and momentum and confidence throughout the week,” Tyrrell said. “Having great practices and all that. I wouldn’t say specifically that goal, but definitely it helped.”

Complimentary pieces have shined this season for SU, as Smith and Adamson each have tallied 14 and 15 goals, respectively. But against Duke, Syracuse had 10 different goal scorers.

As their attack begins to gel and Tyrrell finds her form, the Orange are poised to sit atop the ACC and national rankings for the duration of the season.

“We’ve been building chemistry all season,” Tyrrell said. “It’s been great being able to kind of sense what everyone on the offense is gonna be doing.”

Published on March 2, 2024 at 4:46 pm

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