Syracuse Women Win at Home with Season-high Goals

Story by Thomas Zhou
Photos by Jiayang Zhang 

Syracuse, N.Y- 

In its first home game since Mar. 17, the No. 7/7 Syracuse women's lacrosse team dominated its opponent, Virginia Tech, at the Carrier Dome Saturday morning.

The Orange (9-4,2-2 ACC) smashed the Hokies (6-8,0-5), 22-8, snapping its two- game losing streak. Syracuse had 13 goals in the first half on 15 shots. It is the most goals scored in a half this season for the Orange. The 22 total goals is also a season-high record. Syracuse converted five of seven free-position shots, going 3-for-3 in the first half. 

"We certainly want our goals to be about 50 percent, hopefully around 60,"SU head coach Gary Gait said. "I think what we did today is that we got quality shots."

Junior attack Kayla Treanor had a game-high four goals. Four Syracuse players, Halle Majorana, Taylor Gait, Erica Bodt, Devon Collins contributed three goals each. Majorana, whose birthday is today, also collected a team-high three assists.

First Half: Orange takes over with high efficiency

Gait scored off a free-position shot 35 seconds into the game. Meghan Macera answered for the Hokies 11 seconds later, running all the way herself to beat SU goalie, Kelsey Richardson, after she controlled the draw.

But that was the nearest VT could get.

Syracuse scored five goals in a row in the next eleven minutes. Treanor and Bodt both had two goals and they each scored off a free-position shot.

After Megan Will, the leading scorer for VT, converted a free-position shot to end her team's scoreless drought, Syracuse generated a 4-0 run. Majorana was involved in three goals. She assisted Bodt and Collins as they found the back of the cage. Then Majorana, sandwiched by two VT defenders and goalie Meagh Graham, fired the ball before falling onto the ground. Gait's second goal of the game extended Orange's lead to 10-2 at the 10:05 mark.

VT scored three consecutive goals afterward, including a goal off a draw-control possession. But the Orange responded with a 3-0 run to close out the first half.

"It was really great," said Bodt, who scored three goals in the first half to tie her season-high scoring record. "I have been focusing on shooting this past week in practice, taking a shoot second and looking at the goal and capitalizing on my opportunities. I think personally I did well with that today."

VT outshot SU 18-15 in the first half but the Orange owned an eight-goal advantage. Richardson made four of her six saves for the Orange in that stretch while Graham only had one.

"I think our defense played well again in front of me," Richardson said. "They are really helping me get pressure shots and putting pressure on their shooters so I think that helped a lot. They had a lot of pipes and they had a lot of missed shots. I think that really got into the shooters' heads and that also made it easier for me to see the ball."

Second Half: Momentum Hardly Shifts

Majorana struck first in the second half off a Kailah Kempney assist for Syracuse.

Will then converted a free-position shot for the Hokies. Twelve seconds later at the 18:00 mark, her teammate Meghan Macera scored off a draw-control possession, cutting Syracuse's lead to 14-7. It was the third time the Hokies scored that way.

"Certainly having some quick transition goals is always going to help you get some momentum back on your side," VT head coach Megan Burker said. "It was nice to have a couple of girls step up and really recognize that they needed to control in these moments."

But it was the Orange who gained the momentum. 

Six Syracuse players, Riley Donahue, Treanor, Loren Ziegler, Collins, Neena Merola and Tori Wehner scored the next eight goals to seal the win. VT's Mary Claire Byrne scored the last goal of the game with 23 seconds left. 

Up next
 

Syracuse will host Notre Dame on Apr. 7 at the Dome. The game starts at 7 p.m.