Midfielder Sam Swart saw Meaghan Tyrrell streak from the right side of the goal into an empty pocket of space. It was the first minute of Syracuse’s season-opener against Canisius and Swart fed the ball into the middle, where Tyrrell turned and flicked her stick with ease. Her shot found the upper left-hand corner of the net for the Orange’s first goal of the season. 

The next possession, Swart feinted right and picked out Mary Rahal, who was cutting toward an empty lane near the crease. In two minutes, the Orange had two shots and two goals — both were from Swart assists. She added a third later less than 10 minutes later, giving her half as many assists during Friday night’s game as she recorded in the entirety of last season. 

“Last year I contributed on the goal side and this year I can contribute both now,” Swart said. “That’s something I’ve been working on during the off-season, being able to hit the open girl … and I think it’s going to pay off now.” 

Syracuse’s (1-0) season-opener against Canisius (0-1) was defined by key assists and passes from Swart, sophomore Megan Carney and Tyrrell that allowed senior Emily Hawryschuk to score a career-high seven goals in a dominant 21-6 win. Those passes from her teammates, Hawryschuk said, made scoring those goals “so easy.” 

Carney finished the night with five assists, tying her career-high in a single game, and three came before halftime. On three occasions, she assisted Hawryschuk, who joked that of her seven goals, her most impressive were all those initiated by Carney. Carney’s abilities as an “amazing feeder” were crucial for the Orange, Hawryschuk said. 

Midway through the first half, Carney fed Hawryschuk in the low block, who blasted the shot into the upper right-hand corner for the Orange’s eighth goal. 

Six minutes later, from behind the goal, Carney picked out a Hawryschuk, who had nearly no separation from her defender. Carney placed the ball well-above Hawryschuk’s head, and the senior had to fully extend her stick to reach it. In one fluid motion, Hawryschuk caught the pass and released it, firing into the net to give SU a nine-goal lead. 

“Being able to push for a fastbreak or a slow break and just hit the girls when they’re cutting and they’re open,” Carney said, “(I) just feed them the ball.” 

Controlling the tempo of the game, as Carney said, was vital for the Orange. Their rhythmic passing and connection with wide-open players allowed the offense to run smoothly. This season, the Orange will turn to both Carney and Swart as distributors. 

Eight minutes into the first half, SU picked up a Canisius turnover and used quick passes to move the ball to downfield. Swart sprinted 30 yards and set up Carney for the goal, notching her third assist and catching the Golden Griffins off-guard: With only three defenders back, compared to the Orange’s six attackers, ball movement made SU’s game look smooth and fluid. 

Late in the second half — when the Orange’s bench was emptied and the game was all but wrapped up — Syracuse continued to take advantage of its passing. The ball swung from the right, across the middle and then to the far left of the field for as many as 15 passes before there was any cutting inside the 12-meter fan.

With three minutes remaining in the game, freshman Emma Tyrrell was fouled by a Canisius defender in the attacking third. From the free position, she cradled the ball a few times in her extended stick as three Canisius defenders positioned themselves around her, preparing themselves to sprint to the goal and block her shot. Emma leaned forward in anticipation and stared down the goalie. 

Everyone expected her to sprint toward goal and shoot. 

But instead, she passed.

Published on February 8, 2020 at 12:10 am

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16