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All-American Emily Hawryschuk came out of the tunnel Saturday morning sporting a hoodie and crutches as her teammates warmed up. Now in her fifth-year, Hawryschuk has never missed a game for SU, and the last time she didn’t start was back in March 2018. Head coach Gary Gait said she suffered a lower body injury. 

But the absence of Syracuse’s leading goalscorer didn’t stop its high-powered offense on Saturday.

No. 2 Syracuse (2-0) dominated No. 5 Stony Brook (2-2) 16-6 in the Orange’s home opener in the Dome. It marked Syracuse’s second win over a top-5 team this season after it beat then-No. 5 Loyola 18-6 last weekend. Syracuse netted 12 first-half goals against the Seawolves, fueled by a 6-0 run that spanned only five and a half minutes. Megan Carney tied her career-high with five goals, leading all scorers. Sam Swart tied her career-high four goals last week and duplicated the statline on Saturday. Sierra Cockerille tacked on another four, and Meaghan Tyrrell added four points with two goals and two assists.

Syracuse’s offense moved the ball swiftly, creating separation from Stony Brook’s defenders right in front of the net, which led to quick-fire goals. Sixth-year attack Morgan Alexander notched her first goal of the season to cap off the Orange’s 6-0 run when she juked left after receiving a pass from Maddy Baxter, too. 

When the two teams last met, the Seawolves topped the Orange 17-16 in a narrow, back-and-forth matchup. Syracuse went on a 7-1 run in the final 10 minutes, but even four goals from Hawryschuk in the last 10 minutes wasn’t enough. The Orange couldn’t contain Taryn Ohlmiller, who had six goals and two assists. Gait said Syracuse played the Seawolves in a man-to-man zone instead of the zone defense that SU employed the rest of the season. 

“Last year was the only game we played man-to-man, and we gave up 17 goals in that game, and all the other games we played in a zone,” Gait said. “And that zone defense allowed us to end the season at the number one position on scoring defense.”

Sixteen minutes into Saturday’s game, it looked like the Orange and the Seawolves were poised for another tense matchup. The score was 3-2, and both teams were finding frequent shots on net. Goalie Asa Goldstock finished with 11 saves, making multiple key ones on free positions to maintain Syracuse’s lead. 

Sam Swart had four goals in Syracuse’s dominant win over No. 5 Stony Brook. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

The offense, particularly midfielders Swart and Cockerille, then took over, with Carney on the attack. The trio combined to score 10 of the Orange’s 12 first-half goals. All three players scored on every shot on target, which Gait said was a result of intense preparation for a game that SU lost last year.

“We had been scouting in the preseason, and we were able to watch multiple games to try to find the gaps and the openings, and definitely thought the first half we took advantage of that,” Gait said.

Cockerille made her mark from midfield by making strong runs toward the arc, often cutting past Seawolves defenders. For her first goal, Cockerille picked up the ball after a foul and positioned herself at the top of the Stony Brook zone. Instead of passing, Cockerille put her head down and charged at the Seawolves goal, powering through two defenders and then bouncing off a third before finishing the move with her goal. Cockerille made a similar move minutes later but was fouled. She scored on the ensuing free position play. 

The junior midfielder tacked on two more goals in the second half, and her movement helped open up space for her teammates. Syracuse midfielders frequently made penetrating runs to the top of the arc before passing to a teammate positioned next to the net. Carney completed her hat trick in that fashion when Emma Tyrrell was running behind the goal, dragging the defense with her. In a flash, Carney darted into the vacant space in front of the net and fired a quick shot into the net. 

Tyrrell did the same, stationing herself next to the net and holding possession until a midfielder or attacker made a run. Her positioning dragged Seawolves defenders to the sides and stretch their zone thin. On one occasion, Swart chose not to pass out wide and instead charged through two defenders to complete her first-half hat trick as well. 

“My teammates really, really, really showed up. I’m so proud of the offense,” Goldstock said. “Meg Carney, Meg Tyrrell, Sierra Cockerille, Sam Swart coming up as leaders.”

Syracuse’s offensive success came from practicing against its defense, which is the best in the nation, Gait said. SU’s attackers are used to practicing against a zone defense, so they were able to exploit gaps in the Stony Brook defense.

The Syracuse offense slowed in the second half, scoring just four goals on six shots on goal. But by that point, the game had already been decided. The 6-0 run gave Syracuse a huge lead, and Stony Brook was only able to come within nine goals after the run. Without Hawryschuk, Carney, Cockerille and Swart stepped up, and the No. 2 Orange notched an impressive ranked win over a team. 

“I think it was a huge statement, especially that Emily Hawryschuk didn’t play and how our team responded and rallied together,” Gait said. “I think it continues to make a statement that … when one goes down, we all step up and rise to the occasion. And that’s what they did today.”

Published on February 27, 2021 at 12:42 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu