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Syracuse’s first defensive possession versus Army looked eerily similar to the one against No. 1 Northwestern just four days prior. After Kate Mashewske lost the opening draw control to give the opponent possession, the Black Knights drove to the perimeter of the 12-meter and quickly set into its offense, prompting SU’s zone to find its positioning.

Against the Wildcats Saturday, the defense quickly cracked, allowing Madison Taylor to swiftly beat Delaney Sweitzer and give NU a lead just 22 seconds in. But as Army worked the ball around, it couldn’t find a seam in the SU defense. And when Army attack Allison Reilly attempted to work a pass into the 8-meter as 60 seconds had already dwindled down on the shot clock, Sweitzer easily intercepted it.

On its ensuing offensive possession, the Orange went to work, taking the lead on an Emma Ward goal a minute and 30 seconds into the contest. The defense turning to offense in the first 90 seconds of the match, was a microcosm of No. 5 Syracuse’s (1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) improved zone defense versus No. 18 Army (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League), leading to a blowout 18-7 win. For SU, after moving away from its zone defense following an eight-goal early mishap versus Northwestern, it reestablished the zone early against the Black Knights.

“After the Northwestern game, we kind of talked as a defensive unit and said this is not something that we’re gonna scrap,” SU defender Bianca Chevarie said postgame. “Zone defense is a main part of Syracuse lacrosse and we love being able to get after teams.”

Saturday’s game forced SU into a shift in defensive philosophy it didn’t desire, but was needed in order to claw back into the contest. Northwestern easily picked the Orange’s zone apart in the first quarter, building a six-goal lead. The Orange consequently switched to man-to-man defense. Syracuse’s new-look defense held strong, allowing just 10 goals across the final 45 minutes. But still, Syracuse’s defense knew the man-to-man was more of an in-game adjustment rather than something it would want to implement each game.

“I thought it was really exciting that we could show this man defense and kind of have that in our back pocket along with our zone,” SU defender Hallie Simkins said to the media Tuesday.

In the zone on Wednesday, Syracuse’s defense started on fire, forcing the Black Knights attack into poor angles, resulting in turnovers. Army turned the ball over in the offensive half three times before scoring a goal of its own. And when SU did allow a slip through the cracks, it relied on Sweitzer, the reigning Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Goalkeeper of the Year, to stop the threat.

Leading by three, just four minutes into the contest the Black Knights did break through. Madeline Lenkart slipped through trailing pressure by Katie Goodale and easily scooted by Coco Vandiver’s help defense before dumping off to Reilly. Reilly attempted to cut inside, but was fouled by SU’s swarming defense. On the ensuing free-position attempt, Sweitzer denied Reilly’s bounce shot attempt, keeping Army down.

After 15 minutes of play, SU completely flipped the switch compared to its previous first quarter performance, allowing just two goals and forcing five turnovers. As the zone defense held strong, it turned into offense. In the opening frame, the Orange were efficient in its clears, going a perfect 6-for-6 and scoring eight goals.

Army head coach — and SU alumna — Michelle Tumolo credited Syracuse’s backside defense in the zone for limiting her team’s offensive output. Despite switching away from the zone in its opening game, Tumolo said she fully expected SU to return to its original form in Wednesday’s matchup. Still, Army scored just three goals across the first 30 minutes of play.

With its suffocating defense, Syracuse held Army’s top threat Brigid Duffy in check. Despite scoring 56 goals as a freshman in 2023, Duffy was held off the scoresheet until six minutes remained in the first half. At that point, the game was mostly decided, as SU still led 12-3.

The Orange limited Duffy early on with its strong midfield play at the top of the zone, led by Emma Muchnick, Maddy Baxter and Natalie Smith. 12:43 into the matchup, SU’s midfield established that they wouldn’t allow Duffy to break through easily.

Duffy collected the ball at the top of the 12-meter, but Smith quickly pressured her, forcing her to swing out to the right. Baxter closed down Duffy’s angle instantly, forcing her to attempt a pass from right to left over three SU defenders. The errant pass to Gabrielle Mirak bounced a foot in front of her, deflecting off her stick into Smith’s possession.

“I think for the first half, the defense played great and Delaney (Sweitzer) played great,” Treanor said postgame. “We were able to get a bunch of stats and more possessions to the offense.”

Following a strong first half performance, where its defense allowed it to get out to a commanding 10-goal lead, the zone defense began to falter, allowing the first two-goals of the second half. Duffy also got going in the half, scoring three goals.

But after allowing its second goal through the first five minutes of the half, Syracuse quickly returned to form. Duffy was forced into a game-high four turnovers with two coming in the third quarter. From 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter until the final buzzer, the Orange completely shut down threats, allowing just two goals the rest of the way.

While SU wasn’t facing the top attack in the country in No. 1 Northwestern, its ability to play a strong, complete game in zone gives it defensive versatility as the season goes on. Versus Army, the zone was the early and often answer.

“I think it’s great for our defense that we played our zone and held them to three goals in the first half,” Treanor said. “…It’s a great response from our Northwestern game.”

Published on February 14, 2024 at 9:21 pm

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