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After a 15-0 start, Syracuse suffered a rough stretch. A blown lead to Boston College lost it the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title and a blowout loss to North Carolina in the ACC semifinals ended its conference championship hopes.

The Orange came out firing in their second-round NCAA Tournament game against Johns Hopkins. Bouncing back after early turnover trouble, Syracuse dismantled the Blue Jays. Led by Emma and Meaghan Tyrrell’s combined 13 goals and 17 points, Syracuse won 25-8. The win put it one victory away from its second NCAA semifinal berth in three seasons. The only team standing in its way was No. 7 seed James Madison.

The Orange and Dukes played out a defensive stalemate in the first half with just eight goals between the two teams. Olivia Adamson’s first-half hat trick had the Orange ahead 5-3. Syracuse kept James Madison at arm’s length in the second half. The Orange’s offense came on strong late, scoring eight goals in the second half led by a Megan Carney hat trick.

Here’s some observations from Syracuse (18-2, 8-1 ACC), 13-7 win against James Madison (19-3, 6-0 AAC) in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Sluggish Start on Offense

Syracuse has been known for its offense all season long, using its strong attack to overpower opponents. But against James Madison, the Orange had trouble getting going.

Although SU enjoyed back-to-back possessions to start the contest, it failed to take advantage. First, SU gained possession on the first two draws but failed to take advantage. On the opening possession, Syracuse worked the ball around the key as Carney cut into open space. Moving to her right, SU’s leading goal scorer let off a rip, but Kat Buchanan was equal to it, diving to her right.

Buchanan combined with Syracuse’s sloppy play contributed to Syracuse’s slow start. Emma created space for herself as she cut inside, but Buchanan stuffed her right on the goal line. The senior recorded three saves in the first quarter.

The Orange also had a tough time even getting shots on goal. Emma Ward faked inside, trying to force the ball to Natalie Smith, who was surrounded by JMU defenders. Smith couldn’t get a shot off and lost the ball which Adamson, who was eventually called for a charge, picked up. On another possession, Smith looked for Carney, but the pass sailed over her head.

Syracuse finally got on the board with 1:59 left in the quarter. Adamson finished a feed from Tyrrell to tie the game. Adamson then gave the Orange the lead a minute later.

Strong Defense

The Orange defense has been inconsistent ever since Bianca Chvarie went down with an injury, but it showed up against James Madison. Tewaaraton finalist Isabella Peterson possessed a threat, but the Orange contained her, holding her to just two goals. Syracuse also shut down the rest of the team as no JMU player scored multiple goals outside of Peterson.

SU forced 18 turnovers as JMU struggled with the scrambling defense. Delaney Sweitzer wasn’t tested much in the first half, only making two saves. The SU defense flustered JMU as it made unforced errors throughout.

Even Syracuse’s attack was putting on defensive pressure. After a misplaced pass by Emma, a scramble for the ground ball ensued. SU’s attackers started pressing. Carney forced an errant pass which Adamson picked, finding Ward to put Syracuse up 7-3.

Creating Separation

Last weekend against Johns Hopkins, the Orange created plenty of separation. James Madison provided a different challenge. In a slow offensive game, Syracuse couldn’t create the separation it wanted through three quarters. Adamson and Sierra Cockerille’s two goals in 15 seconds put Syracuse in front toward the end of the second quarter, with the Orange extending their lead by one in the third quarter.

Syracuse continued to keep James Madison at bay in the second half. The Orange did a good job of responding whenever the Dukes threatened to make a run, but didn’t make a run of their own until the fourth. JMU cut the lead to 8-5 at the end of the third, but Syracuse scored the first goal of the fourth when Ward found Emma Terrell in front of the net. Emma Tyrrell ripped a shot for her first goal of the game. The goal started a 5-2 quarter for Syracuse, allowing it to finish out strong.

Smith found Adamson on the crease who finished to give Syracuse its biggest lead of the game with under 13 minutes remaining. In the fourth quarter, the Orange didn’t let the Dukes get within four goals. Carney wrapped up the game with two minutes remaining. Ward fed her on a behind-the-back pass as Carney then finished with a behind-the-back of her own. Carney’s third goal of the game put the Orange up 13-7 with two minutes remaining.

Adamson Dominates

Adamson was big in more ways than one for Syracuse against the Dukes. Syracuse’s offense was in a rut early: playing sloppy, turning the ball over, taking ill-advised shots and looking out of sorts. Adamson helped calm the Orange down late in the first quarter.

Adamson cut towards the frame at a tough angle. With her window for a shot cutting down, Adamson remained calm. She fired a bullet toward the top left corner that bounced off the post and in for Syracuse’s first goal of the game. Less than a minute later, Adamson put Syracuse in front with another goal. Smith controlled the ball on the right side as Adamson found a gap in the JMU defense. Smith fired a pass to Adamson who quickly shot it past Buchannan for her second goal.

In the second quarter with the game tied at three, Adamson once again found space in the middle, receiving a pass from Meaghan. Adamson fired a shot into the roof of the net to give Syracuse the lead back, which gave her a hat trick.

Throughout the first half, she was also dominant on the draw, controlling 8-of-10 draws for the Orange.

Published on May 18, 2023 at 2:41 pm

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