Syracuse 18, Duke 16: Orange ride huge second half performance to notch conference win
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (BVM) – If you only watched the first quarter, you would have thought that Duke (6-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) cruised to an easy victory against Syracuse (5-1, 2-0 ACC). However, after a brutal first quarter from the Orange in which they were outscored 2-9, they continued to fight, eventually making a push back into the game.
The Orange jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead courtesy of Emily Hawryschuk’s unassisted goal just seconds off the opening draw, but Duke quickly responded with a flurry of goals, scoring the game’s next eight.
Syracuse would continue to make dents into the Blue Devil’s lead, but did not lead again until the fourth quarter. Starting in her own defensive zone, Sam Swart went on a long individual run, bringing the ball all the way up. She then layed it off to Megan Carney, who fired a shot through the goalie’s legs to take back the lead.
Goals were not hard to come by in this top-10 matchup between ACC rivals, with offensive fireworks from both sides. With Syracuse being ranked No. 3 in the country and Duke ranked No. 7 in the latest polls, this game was a measuring stick to see where both teams stood early in the season.
The Orange looked overmatched during the first quarter but had a strong response, especially after the halftime break. They outscored Duke 10-4 in the second half, sparked by a massive third quarter in which Meaghan Tyrrell scored four of her five goals. Her five goals moved her into eighth all-time on the Orange’s goal list, with 147 for her career.
“I think it was more so just really executing the game plan, we’ve had a game plan in place and been practicing it all week,” Tyrrell said. “Throughout the first half, it wasn’t working for me personally, so just a mental shift of really executing and focussing on that.”
In the fourth, it was Carney’s turn in the spotlight, as she scored three goals in the final quarter, including the go-ahead score for Syracuse with 14 minutes left. The teams went back and forth, but Swart put Syracuse up by two goals with just 22 seconds remaining, sealing the comeback victory for the Orange.
The Orange had seven different goal scorers, a statement to the depth and ability of the team.
“I think I have to give a lot of credit to the other girls that scored,” Carney said. “To have seven different goal scorers is huge for a team, to have that depth and confidence in everyone.”
Head coach Kayla Treanor said that she is very happy with how her team responded after getting in a massive hole early.
“Today was an amazing win for us, I am incredibly proud of our team,” Treanor said. “To be down, 8-1, and then down 9-2 at the end of the first quarter is really challenging, to not just to overcome that and tie it up, but for us to win by two.”
Goalkeeper Kimber Hower made her first collegiate start today, playing the entirety of the game. Even after allowing nine goals in the first quarter, she stayed calm and focussed to the next play.
“I was actually very calm during the first quarter because I knew we were going to make a change,” Hower said. “My coaches have really emphasized that they have trust in me, so that was never something in the back of my mind. I knew we would figure it out.”
Syracuse had struggled to close out games so far this season, but today they made the big plays when they mattered the most.
“We made the plays that we needed to make to win,” Treanor said. “Sam, clutch goal, just to finish that in that clutch moment, and then at the end, for Kimber to make that save, that’s what we’ve been looking for from them, just to make those big plays.”
