Syracuse Downs Canisius Again in Rematch

Story By Lauren Williams

Photo by Jiayang Zhang

Syracuse, N.Y - The need for vengeance was not enough for the Canisius Golden Griffins as the Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse team defeated them 19-7 in Sunday’s matchup at the Carrier Dome. The Orange defense was quick to adapt to the Griffins’ run early in the first half and kept them at bay in second. 

No. 3/3 Syracuse is now 3-0 while Canisius drops 0-2. It was the second time in a week that SU defeated the Griffins.

“It’s something different this early in the season to play an opponent twice in a row, back-to-back,” head coach, Gary Gait, said.  “I thought their players played well in the first half but our players made some adjustments and got the job done.”

Adaptable Defense
 

Senior goalkeeper Kelsey Richardson stopped seven of Canisius’ shots in the first quarter and four in the second despite an early Canisius goal that rolled into the net. Richardson attributes her alertness to better preparation.

“I think last week having two games, I was a bit more focused on Denver,” she said. “That was our first game so I studied them a little bit more. This week started off with Canisius, so I got a little bit more work with them, focused more on their style and their shooters.”

Richardson also said that the communication between the players on defense was better, which placed more pressure on their opponents.

“I think our defense just sharpened up a little bit,” Gait agreed. “They had time to focus on D-shifts, without Denver being ahead of them on the same day. You make adjustments and you make some for [Richardson] and a couple other players and I think we did a nice job living our scoring opportunities.”

Drawing Success

The Orange also capitalized on draw controls with senior Kailah Kempney grabbing eight of the team’s 19. Sophomore Kaeli O’Connor and  junior Kelly Cross each contributed four, while several other players drew one apiece.

Score Galore

Gait wanted to give all of his players an opportunity to play. Thirty-eight players saw minutes on the field with nine of them tallying goals. Junior attack Kayla Treanor led the way with four goals, while senior Devon Collins had a team-high three assists.

“We have work to do with everybody,” Gait said. “We have to develop chemistry still, but they’ve been delivering on the offensive end, working hard on the D-end. I think it makes us deeper and stronger and so far I’m happy with the way we’re progressing.”
 

Senior Gabby Jaquith, who added a goal of her own, echoed the need for communication on the field.

“I think one of things we can definitely pick up is communication when we’re running our plays,” the midfielder said. “We have a strong lineup and I think that we have a lot of potential for improvement and more communication.”

Next Time

Due to travel issues with Presbyterian, the second game scheduled Sunday night was canceled with no plans to reschedule the matchup. Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome next Monday, February 23, against #7 Virginia at 6 p.m.