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As a part of the senior day ceremonies before No. 4 Syracuse’s matchup against No. 1 North Carolina, all of the Orange’s graduating players walked onto the field. While most seniors were prepared to play the top-ranked Tar Heels, there were some that only dressed for the occasion.

Sierra Cockerille had put on her jersey for the ceremony, but she wasn’t going to play as she had a brace and a bandage on her right knee. Meaghan Tyrrell came out of the tunnel with her younger sister and junior midfielder Emma Tyrrell walked by her side. Emma wore an orange t-shirt, because SU Athletics announced she was out for the season following a lower-body injury.

Even before the top four game began, Syracuse (10-3, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) was already hampered by injuries to Emma, Cockerille, Emma Ward and Kenzie Harris. Missing players have been a problem that the Orange have dealt with this season and in the previous one when they lost in the National Championship.

At first against the Tar Heels, the absences didn’t affect SU, which were tied 7-7 with North Carolina (13-0, 6-0 ACC) at halftime. But an injury to Megan Carney during the first half shortened the Orange’s personnel heading into the second half with a total of five players out with an injury, allowing the Tar Heels to take control of the game.

In the first half, the Orange’s attackers took advantage of their individual matchups. Carney was heavily guarded by UNC’s Brooklyn Walker-Welch, who used a consistent press and multiple shoves to slow down the senior. But Carney also didn’t drive toward the net as much as she did early in the season, making her first appearance since the Orange’s 22-7 win over Temple due to a lingering knee injury. Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor said that Syracuse was evaluating her day-to-day throughout the week.

Carney’s typical aggressiveness came back in the second quarter. As Natalie Smith broke away from three Tar Heel defenders to create an attack for the Orange, she played the ball to Carney, who still hadn’t scored. Carney used her speed to get a step ahead of the defender and send a high shot over goalie Taylor Moreno’s stick to give Syracuse a 6-5 lead.

But near the end of the half, Carney left the game limping and crouching down in pain. She received support from Syracuse players and coaches, and she could only watch the remainder of the game with ice on her left knee.

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“It’s really tough and it definitely hurts your heart a lot,” Sarah Cooper said when asked postgame about her injured teammates.

Carney has dealt with injuries before, though. Last season, Carney, along with Emily Hawryschuk, were absent for the Orange’s run to the National Championship game due to ACL injuries. Both recovered in time for the 2022 season opener against Stanford where they combined for two goals. And since then, the two have been among SU’s top scorers once again.

But even before the season started, Syracuse already had key pieces out for the entire year. Two weeks before the home opener against the Cardinal, sophomore attack Ward, who had a breakout freshman year, announced on social media she would not play in 2022 due to a lower-leg injury.

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Ward’s absence didn’t seem to affect SU’s record as the Orange remained undefeated throughout the month of February. But in Syracuse’s first loss of the season against then-No. 6 Northwestern, it lost Cockerille, one of the longtime starters in the midfield.

As Syracuse was in transition midway through the game, Cockerille suffered a non-contact injury and was immediately removed from the eventual overtime loss. Then in the last week alone, Emma went from being ruled “day-to-day” to out for the season. While Cockerille played a role in the midfield and on transition, Emma was third on SU in points.

“Emma was obviously a big part of the offense,” Meaghan said. “It was the first time not playing with her in a couple of years. So it’s been an adjustment.”

By the time the second half started against the Wildcats, five injured Syracuse players stood on the sidelines next to each other. Carney held ice on her knee and got out of her uniform. Ward, who practiced shooting before the game, walked around with a boot on her left foot. Cockerille and Harris had leg braces on, and Emma had padding on her left leg.

Published on April 10, 2022 at 11:57 pm

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