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

Three minutes into the first quarter, the score was 1-1 as both teams were trying to establish their offenses. Syracuse had the ball, as it worked it behind the cage to Savannah Sweitzer. Once Sweitzer caught the ball, Emma Tyrrell cut toward the net from the 8-meter and Sweitzer delivered a crisp pass to her stick. Tyrrell caught the ball and fired it past Emily Manning to give SU a 2-1 lead.

Two minutes later, Tyrrell showed off her passing ability, dishing to Emma Ward to lift SU ahead 3-1. From that point forward, SU kept its lead for the rest of the game, with Tyrrell proving unstoppable against Stony Brook.

No. 3 Syracuse’s (15-5, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) matchup with No. 14 Stony Brook (18-3, 8-0 Coastal Athletic Association) featured two of the nation’s top scorers. Entering the game, Ellie Masera led the Seawolves with 75 goals and Tyrrell led the Orange with 58. But in a win-or-go-home situation, Tyrrell shined, tallying five goals and six points to lead SU to a 15-10 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In Syracuse’s last game, a 15-8 loss to Boston College in the ACC Championship, Tyrrell was held to just one goal, well below her average of just over three goals a game. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Tyrrell needed to provide the Orange with a spark.

“She really just fuels us up. She sets such a high standard,” Payton Rowley said following SU’s win over Pittsburgh on April 6.

Against the Seawolves, Tyrrell made sure that a 22-minute scoring drought would not repeat itself. Tyrrell’s goal and assist in the games’ opening five minutes set the tone for the rest of the contest, as she recorded at least one goal in all four quarters.

The Seawolves played the Orange close to start the game, answering Ward’s goal to make the score 3-2. In response, SU got the ball back after a Kate Mashewske win in the circle.

Down on the other end, Syracuse worked the ball to Tyrrell at the top of the 8-meter and she drew two defenders, but made a dodge move which drew a foul on Avery Hines. Tyrrell was granted a free position shot, a situation she has been in many times all season. Showing signs of comfort, Tyrrell dashed toward the crease and rattled the ball off the pipes and into the back of the net to give SU a 4-2 lead.

The goal started a 3-0 run during the final seven minutes of the first quarter to give Syracuse a commanding 6-2 lead. After three first-quarter points by Tyrrell, SU was in the driver’s seat, just like it had been after tallying eight first-quarter goals in each of its first two games of the ACC Tournament.

The Seawolves opened the second quarter on a 3-1 scoring run, bringing them to a 7-5 deficit. Just as Tyrrell had stopped Stony Brook’s momentum with her offense in the first quarter, she delivered again.

Coco Vandiver forced a turnover on the defensive end to get the ball back for Syracuse. On the break, Olivia Adamson met her defender on the right side of the net, but no Seawolves accounted for Tyrrell on the backside of the play. Seeing the opening, Tyrrell cut towards the goal and Adamson assisted her for the quick score, giving Tyrrell a hat trick.

Across the next 2:12 of game clock, the Orange netted three more goals, ballooning their lead to 11-5. Sophomore Gracie Britton and freshman Joely Caramelli, who each entered with fewer than 10 goals on the season, joined the scoring run as SU found ways to punish Stony Brook all over the field.

“(That 4-0 run) was a turning point for us in the game,” Tyrrell said postgame. “We went into it like it was 0-0 and every goal matters. We just gotta make sure we’re capitalizing on every goal.”

Adamson scored at the beginning of the third quarter, but then the SU offense stalled for nearly 13 minutes. Tyrrell set SU back into gear as she scored with 50 seconds left in the third quarter to give SU a 13-8 lead.

While Masera had recorded just two goals through three quarters, Tyrrell was still looking to ensure Syracuse would advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals. With seven minutes left, Tyrrell tallied her fifth goal of the game, again off a feed from Adamson.

The goal gave Tyrrell six points, marking the seventh time this season that she’s reached that tally. Now, Tyrrell has 82 points, continuing to set a career-best while leading the Orange.

“Everyone followed the game plan to a T and it gave us the ability to open up the middle a little bit more,” Tyrrell said. “Everyone was on the same plan and it worked out.”

Published on May 12, 2024 at 7:53 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32