BACK FOR MORE: Your guide to Syracuse lacrosse ahead of the 2021 season

Photo/Mark Nash

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By The Daily Orange Sports Staff

February 17, 2021

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ear readers,

A year ago, Syracuse men’s lacrosse ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time since 2017, and the women’s team sat at No. 4. Both programs were trending upward, back on the path toward an NCAA lacrosse championship.

But in March, COVID-19 abruptly shut down Syracuse’s promising seasons. The weeks that followed, though, epitomized the immense expectations surrounding Syracuse lacrosse’s 2021 season.

Throughout April and May, following the NCAA’s announcement that granted spring athletes an extra year of eligibility, 10 of 11 Syracuse women’s lacrosse seniors announced they’d return in 2021 — including All-American attack Emily Hawryschuk, goalie Asa Goldstock and defenders Kerry Defliese and Ella Simkins, among others.

On the men’s side, the program brought back its entire starting lineup, including arguably the best midfield line in the country that features three All-Americans in Tucker Dordevic, Brendan Curry and Jamie Trimboli.

They’ll pair with attack Chase Scanlan, who transferred from Loyola in 2020 to be closer to home. Growing up on a Seneca Nation reservation, Scanlan made lacrosse sticks with his grandfather and played pickup lacrosse with his cousins. After high school, he played lacrosse across the world, but ultimately, his transfer to Syracuse has brought him closer to the community he grew up in.

Alongside Scanlan, Peter Dearth’s “selfless” transition from offensive to defensive midfielder three years ago gave, and continues to give, Syracuse the versatility it needs. And offensive coordinator Pat March is the architect behind the nation’s sixth-best scoring offense that fueled No. 1 Syracuse last season.

For the women’s team, Meaghan Tyrrell’s awareness near the goal complements top scorers Hawryschuk and Megan Carney. Tyrrell is joined by young star Bianca Chevarie, the third-shortest player on the team who played among players twice her age on the Canadian national team. On the backline, Simkins returns for a fifth year to anchor SU years after she nearly quit lacrosse forever.

These six will help lead Syracuse’s pursuits toward a national championship, as both groups navigate an altered 2021 season amid a pandemic. And they’ll help answer one looming question: Is this the year?

Welcome to The Daily Orange’s 2021 Lacrosse Guide.

— Roshan Fernandez, Sports Editor

• • •

CLOSE TO HOME: Chase Scanlan’s transfer to Syracuse brought him back to the place he once left

A transfer to IMG Academy took Scanlan away from the tight-knit community on the Seneca Nation reservation where he grew up. The pickup games with cousins. The relationship and stick-making experiences with his grandfather. Scanlan grew homesick, something that continued into his freshman year at Loyola. But a transfer to Syracuse brought him closer to home, to a point where his relatives — and anyone else from Irving — could make a short drive up to his games.

“I’ve never had a thought of leaving (Syracuse), I’ve never had a thought where I don’t like this place,” Scanlan said. “I love it.”

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HEADS UP: How Meaghan Tyrrell’s style of play creates more scoring opportunities

In her first two seasons at Syracuse, Tyrrell finished top-three on the team in points. Part of her success can be attributed to her style of play — keeping her head up. While many attacks keep their heads down and plow through a defense, Tyrrell’s awareness helps her dodge defenders and find better scoring opportunities.

“Her head was always up, she was a complete attacker,” said Al Bertolone, Tyrrell’s high school coach. “Offensively, she could beat you on the dodge. She could feed like she was a quarterback.”

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COMMANDER OF THE FIELD: Pat March’s rise from coaching D-III to crafting Syracuse’s offense

Engrossed in lacrosse as a child, March learned the sport, sometimes unconventionally, surrounded by high-level players.

His coaching journey began at his alma mater, Division III Roanoke, and in less than 10 years, he found himself at his childhood favorite school, Syracuse University. In just one season as offensive coordinator for Syracuse, March helped lead SU back to the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2017 with the sixth-ranked offense in the nation. His system, crafted at his various stops in the last decade, had all of his offensive starters in last year’s shortened season on pace to break career highs.

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RUN IT BACK: From almost quitting to changing positions, Ella Simkins returns to the backline

Before Simkins became an anchor in Syracuse’s defense, she wanted to quit lacrosse. She became uninterested in the sport when she struggled as a junior in high school, with her window to play college lacrosse dwindling.

Years later after finding a home within Syracuse lacrosse, Simkins leads the No. 1 defense in the nation. After last season was cancelled due to the pandemic, Simkins prepares for her next challenge: leading her team to a national championship.

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SELFLESS SWITCH: With a shift to defensive midfielder, Peter Dearth fulfills SU’s expectations

Dearth came to Syracuse as a highly-touted All-American offensive middie. But during the middle of his sophomore season, he came to terms with the reality that the position was a dead end. Dearth switched to short-stick defensive midfield to fill a void.

He’s since earned multiple All-American nods and become the first three-time captain in school history. Now he’s back for a fifth season, motivated by the same thing that first drove him since picking up a stick in the first grade.

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SMALL BUT MIGHTY: Bianca Chevarie might be SU’s next young star. Her size hasn’t gotten in the way.

When injuries forced SU to delve deeper into its lineup last season, it looked toward Chevarie. As a 5-foot-2 sophomore for Syracuse, she’s the third shortest player on the team.

Despite her size and youth, though, Chevarie’s stood out — something she’s been doing her whole life. In her first lacrosse camp in sixth grade, the coaches moved her to play with college athletes. At 16, Chevarie won a silver medal representing Canada at the World Cup. Now at Syracuse, she’s just getting started.

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Majumder: Syracuse has already secured its future. This year isn’t championship-or-bust.

In the new college lacrosse landscape featuring four first-time champions in the last decade, Syracuse had been slipping from its place as a perennial recruiting and national title threat. But, the acquisitions of freshman Owen Hiltz, new No. 22 Scanlan and offensive coordinator March in the last two years are a turning point for the Orange.

For Syracuse, this year isn’t chapionship-or-bust, argues our beat writer Arabdho Majumder. With three five-star commits in 2022, Majumder writes that Syracuse’s future remains bright even if SU can’t win it all.

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Nolan: This needs be the title-winning year for Syracuse women’s lacrosse

The only thing truly in Syracuse’s way during 2020 was a pandemic that eventually shut down its promising season.

This year, the five All-Americans, the generational talent that is Hawryschuk and the 10-time NCAA Champion coach Gary Gait are back to pursue the program’s first national title. Our beat writer Tim Nolan writes this season needs to be the year the Orange go further in the NCAA tournament than they have in recent memory. He argues that for Syracuse women’s lacrosse, it’s now or never.

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— Banner illustration by Nabeeha Anwar. Photo illustrations by Emily Steinberger and Nabeeha Anwar. Additional photos by Will Fudge | Staff Photographer, Jordan Phelps | Staff Photographer and courtesy of SU Athletics.