SU women’s LAX dominates Coastal Carolina after first-half run

Hoping to bounce back after a tough loss to No. 1 Boston College, the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team had an explosive first half to beat Coastal Carolina 18-5.

Although the Orange (3-1) had a high-scoring first half, the Chanticleers (1-1) were the first to score with a goal from Haley Kyger. Coastal Carolina only had the lead for a moment because Syracuse’s Meaghan Tyrrell scored in the next minute. A goal on a free position play from Megan Carney gave the Orange the lead and was the first in an eight-goal scoring run.

The offensive drought for the Chanticleers was ended by Haley Alexander who scored the second goal for her team. Morgan Alexander and the Orange responded with a goal of their own and closed out the half with four more goals, giving Syracuse a 13-2 lead going into halftime.

The factors in this half were ground balls and draw controls. Coastal Carolina was only able to gain possession from one draw control the whole first half, compared to Syracuse’s 15.

“You know it’s a different opponent,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said of the increase in draw controls. “You know from the start. We’ve been working on draws all year. Here, I think our practice and the work we put in has paid off again giving us that huge advantage.”

Another place the Orange found more scoring chances was in free position plays. Syracuse was three of eight on shots from free position, and the Chanticleers did not have a single free position shot attempt.

The Orange got right back to business coming out of the half with a goal from Emily Hawryschuk on a free position play. Despite the large Syracuse lead, Coastal Carolina kept fighting and answered with a goal by Jordan Harrell. The Orange continued to exhibit their dominance, with defender Sarah Cooper scoring a goal in transition. In the end, Coastal Carolina put up a valiant effort, putting two more goals in the back of the net, but Syracuse was too much for them.

Tyrrell and Alexander led the Orange in scoring after each recorded a hat trick. Tyrrell also added an assist to her impressive performance. Hawryschuk was also an impact player, finishing with two assists and a goal. Kyger of the Chanticleers also notched three goals on the day of her three shot attempts.

With the offense thriving, the defense was able to shine once more. Coastal Carolina was only able to take eleven shots all night because of Syracuse’s great defensive stand. The Chanticleers also had a total of 19 turnovers which gave the Orange more time with the ball. Syracuse goalkeeper Asa Goldstock only played the first 43 minutes before Bri Stahrr replaced her.

The Orange team is back at noon on Sunday in the Carrier Dome to take on Northwestern. When the two faced off last season, the Wildcats won 14-10 on their own turf.