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For most high-level NCAA lacrosse teams, the opening game of the season calls for a tune-up. It’s a time for players to get acclimated to the new season while adding a win to their resume.

Yet for Syracuse, it found itself in a top-five matchup against Northwestern to open its season for the second year in a row. As the Wildcats hung their 2023 national championship banner pregame, Saturday’s season-opener served as a litmus test rather than a traditional tune-up.

“We were the only team to beat them last year and now we have this opportunity to go on the road and play them for the first game of the year,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said Tuesday. “It’s what our student-athletes want, the opportunity to play the best team in the country.”

The Orange got that opportunity and fell just short. Despite holding Izzy Scane to four points, an 8-2 first-quarter deficit was too much for No. 5 Syracuse (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to overcome as No. 1 Northwestern (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated the Orange 18-15. A late four-goal run from SU put it within striking distance late, but Northwestern answered with a run of its own.

“It’s tough to lose,” Treanor said postgame. “But I really believe in this team. I think they have a lot of fight and a lot of belief in each other”

From the opening draw, SU received a boost as All-American draw-control specialist Kate Mashewske returned from an injury that caused her to miss the 2023 season. Though versus Samantha Smith, Mashewke lost three of the first four draw controls, setting up a potent Northwestern attack.

Smith’s first win set up a quick strike by Erin Coykendall to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead just 22 seconds into the contest. As Northwestern’s attack continued to get early looks, Syracuse’s defense drew to Scane, who scored 99 goals in 2023 and five against SU in last season’s opener.

Syracuse’s defense often sent two to Scane as the Wildcats approached the net, leaving Coykendall and Madison Taylor open. Coykendall made SU’s defense pay early, scoring two as the Wildcats quickly rotated the ball to the open player when Scane was doubled.

Scane was marked through zone defense, but when SU changed to man-to-man, freshman Kaci Benoit was tasked with stopping the top threat. After a tough first quarter for Benoit and the entire SU defense, it found its rhythm, holding Northwestern to under four goals in the remaining three quarters and just one point from Scane between the 8:53 mark of the first quarter to the 3:37 mark of the fourth.

“I think you saw today why she’s starting,” Treanor said of Benoit. “She’s an amazing defender and she played phenomenal.”

With Northwestern dominating the draw circle, Syracuse’s defense was put on its heels while its offense stalled on limited opportunities. When it did get possession, the attack was stagnant in the zone.

But on a 7-on-5 advantage, SU finally struck. When Dylan Amonte was penalized for Northwestern’s second green card, the Orange gained the advantage. Emma Ward shuffled behind the net, patiently waiting for a teammate to open up. But Northwestern held strong, not giving SU any room.

As the shot clock struck down to 30 seconds, Ward curled around the left post and found Maddy Baxter open in front of the net. Baxter took a step toward the net while delivering a pump fake then beat Molly Laliberty low for Syracuse’s first goal of the season.

But the score was overshadowed by Northwestern’s dominance. In 2023, the Wildcats led the nation in scoring offense with 16.90 goals per game. In the first 15 minutes Saturday, Northwestern nearly scored half of that average, totaling eight. On the Wildcats’ first four shots, all of them beat SU star goalie Delaney Sweitzer.

Northwestern’s dominant offense — led by Coykendall’s five first-quarter points — helped it take an 8-2 lead into the second. Coykendall finished with a game-high eight points on an even four-goal, four-assist day.

In the following quarter, Olivia Adamson took Mashewske’s role as the draw-control specialist for a short time. Yet, Northwestern controlled five consecutive draws between the first and second quarters to spread its lead.

Adamson did help to jump-start SU’s once-stagnant offense. After a Natalie Smith goal earlier in the quarter, Adamson collected a pass from Savannah Sweitzer along the goal line and turned the corner sharply, forcing her defender, Kendall Halpern, to fall. Adamson swung her right hand around and fired into the upper right corner for SU’s fourth goal.

Mashewske went back into the draw circle seven minutes into the second quarter, struggling again.

“We were confident that she’d go back and we were just trying to change it up because we weren’t winning draw controls,” Treanor said. “And we definitely weren’t on the same page in this game with our unit.”

As a unit, the five draw control specialists combined to win just 13-of-37 draws, allowing Northwestern to total 14 more shots than SU.

But Syracuse lost a crucial opportunity in the second frame. At one point, the Orange held a three-player advantage, allowing Ward to play more freely behind the net with no one face-guarding her. Still, SU couldn’t capitalize and trailed by five at halftime.

As the second half began, well-played clearances gave Syracuse two goals to quickly cut Northwestern’s lead from five to three. Following an unknown whistle by the referee, Katie Goodale quickly ran out in transition and flipped a 20-yard pass to her. Goodale ran down to the 12-meter, where she dumped off to Emma Tyrrell. She worked the offense as the Wildcats continued to get back, eventually dishing to Smith for a goal. Minutes later, Baxter collected the ball at midfield and drove down to the eight-meter before beating Laliberty over the top.

Yet with each SU goal, Northwestern answered.

In an attempt to build a comeback, Adamson, who tallied a game-high six goals, went to work. Trailing by five to open the quarter, Adamson used her creativity to strike for two goals in the first five minutes of the quarter. The first by way of a behind-the-back goal and the next on an underhand shot. SU trailed by just three with more than half the quarter to play.

Then, Ward scored back-to-back goals to cut the deficit to just one goal with eight minutes to play, as SU was on a 4-0 run‚ which came due to success in the draw control battle, winning it 5-4 in the fourth.

But once SU gained momentum, Northwestern embarked on a three-goal run to build its lead to four. As time winded down, Syracuse found itself in penalty trouble. The Wildcats drew out the clock with multiple player-up opportunities and extended its winning streak to 22. Despite the loss, Treanor remained optimistic for the rest of the season.

“I think our future’s bright. I think this is a really good team,” Treanor said.

Published on February 10, 2024 at 4:04 pm

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