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Syracuse had possession up by one with less than a minute left. Emily Hawryschuk held the ball and moved closer to the net, drawing multiple Duke defenders as midfielder Sam Swart moved toward the 8-meter. Hawryschuk found Swart, and her shot got past the right shoulder of goalkeeper Sophia LeRose, increasing the Orange’s lead to two goals.

Swart’s goal gave SU a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Megan Carney and Meaghan Tyrrell cemented an 18-16 comeback win for No. 3 Syracuse (5-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) over No. 7 Duke (6-1, 0-1 ACC). The Blue Devils dominated the Orange on both sides of the ball in the first quarter, going up 9-2 after 15 minutes, but SU’s offense improved by connecting on passes and controlling the ball better.

“We had a game plan in place … and in the first half that kind of wasn’t working for me,” Meaghan said. “I guess I had a mental shift of really executing and focusing on (the shift of play).”

In the last 17 minutes, the two teams went back-and-forth, and the score was tied for much of the fourth quarter. But Meaghan and Carney combined for seven goals in the second half and Kimber Hower made four clutch saves to give the Orange the win, defeating a high-powered Blue Devils’ offense.

In the first quarter, Duke’s depth was on display as seven different players recorded at least one point. After Hawryschuk scored the game’s first goal less than a minute into the game, Duke outscored SU 9-1 for the rest of the 15 minutes. After receiving a pass from behind the net, Eva Greco opened the scoring for the Blue Devils.

The defense didn’t improve for the rest of the quarter. The Blue Devils controlled the ball as sophomore Katie Keller held onto the ball and quickly moved past SU defenders and midfielders to create attacking plays.

In the first quarter, Catriona Barry tallied four assists and scored a free-position goal with four and a half minutes left in the quarter. Caroline DeBellis scored her second goal of the day a minute later by pump-faking defenders to make the score 7-1.

When the Orange did have the ball, they struggled to create any attacks. Swart missed on a pass to Savannah Sweitzer in the 8-meter, and many passes to Hawryschuk were high and forced the fifth-year senior to adjust. Head coach Kayla Treanor noted the “hectic” Blue Devils used a double faceguard in their zone to throw Syracuse off.

But SU improved in the second quarter through better draw control play and fewer turnovers. The Orange were also strong in the one-on-one matchups Carney had with defender. On one play, Carney made a quick move to the left and gained a step on Natalie Kahn. She then took a shot that went to the right side of the net to make the game 10-7.

Syracuse went into halftime now only down by four, but a quick start in the third quarter helped it tie the game. Meaghan opened up the third quarter with back-to-back goals. First, she received a pass from Hawryschuk who sent the ball from over the net. Then, the Orange won the ensuing draw and Swart dumped off to Meaghan, who then fired a bounce shot past LeRose to make the score 12-10.

Syracuse mounted a strong comeback in the latter stages of the first half — and throughout the second half — to pick up the win over Duke. Trent Kaplan | Staff Photographer

Minutes later, Jalyn Jimerson fired a low shot in the 8-meter that beat LeRose. Meaghan, held scoreless in the first half, scored the Orange’s next two goals as the end of the third quarter saw the two teams tied.

To start the final quarter, Carney scored her first goal quickly with a hard shot past LeRose. And after Duke’s Olivia Carner scored to tie the game again, Swart streaked down the left side of Duke’s half with the ball with a chance to give Syracuse a lead for the first time since the first quarter. Swart had multiple options to pass to, but she saw Carney softly guarded.

Swart decided to send the ball down to Carney, who had frequently taken advantage of one-on-one matchups and had Kay Conway guarding her. While Carney had used many quick moves and pump fakes to mess up defenders, this time she just sent a low shot that got past LeRose.

“We worked on one-on-ones almost every day in practice,” Carney said. “I just go out there having confidence and just the affirmation that you’re going to beat your defender.”

Meaghan then scored her fifth goal of the day and the Orange’s lead grew to three. But in the last five minutes of the game, Barry and Carner quickly notched scores to make it a one-goal game. Then, Barry sprinted with the ball to the front of the net as Bianca Chevarie pressured her. With an opening in the 8-meter, Barry took a hard bounce shot that hit the post. Hower was able to hit the ball away from the net to make a crucial stop, and give the Orange control of the ball until Swart’s goal buried any chance of another blown fourth-quarter lead like against Northwestern and Notre Dame.

“For Sam (it was a) clutch goal to finish that in that pressure moment,” Treanor said. “They were able to wind down the clock the whole way, which we asked them to do.”

Published on March 6, 2022 at 2:57 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com