‘Heartbreak’: Season-long injuries catch up to Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals loss

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EVANSTON, Ill. — Following a “great week of practice,” attack Emily Hawryschuk, previously a Tewaaraton finalist, said Syracuse can win the national championship. Despite the injuries to multiple stars from their lineup, the Orange made a run to the national championship last year and Hawryschuk felt they could do it again.

“Absolutely,” Hawryschuk said when asked about SU’s national title hopes. “I think we have the potential and I still don’t think that we’ve put together a full 60 minute game.”

But Hawryschuk’s final season ended the same way 2019 did — an NCAA Tournament quarterfinals loss in Evanston. In the final minutes of the game, Meaghan Tyrrell looked for a consolation goal. She charged into the 8-meter and ducked past multiple Northwestern defenders for the score, but another buzzer-beating goal from the Wildcats made it an 11-score game again.

No. 5 Syracuse (15-6, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) struggled in the first half and failed to convert on the attack as it had typically done this season. No. 4 Northwestern (16-4, 5-1 Big Ten) had far fewer draw controls, but goalie Madison Doucette’s 11 saves and SU’s inefficient shooting helped the Wildcats move on to the Final Four. The Orange went about 34 minutes in between the second and third goal while the injuries that hampered SU throughout the year highlighted a missed opportunity in Kayla Treanor’s first season as head coach.

Before the season even started, 2022 looked like 2021 all over again. Emma Ward, who was the second-best scorer on the team as a freshman, was ruled out for the whole year with a lower leg injury. Still, the Orange were surrounded by returning talents like Meaghan, Hawryschuk and Carney.

As the season went along, SU lost a few games and it lost cornerstones of the lineup. Star midfielders Sierra Cockerille and Emma Tyrrell were both ruled out for the year with lower body injuries. They started to take a toll at the end of the season. While Syracuse came close to beating then-No. 3 Boston College, it fell in an upset loss to Virginia in the ACC Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, attacking struggles worsened with three of the four lowest offensive efficiencies coming in those games.

In the first nine minutes against Northwestern, the Wildcats controlled the midfield while also making stops. Following a Doucette save on Meaghan, Allie Berkery got NU’s first score despite facing pressure from Syracuse defenders and midfielders. Northwestern also took advantage of SU’s mistakes in the midfield which it converted to scores while on the transition.

“We needed the ball back, we were having Kimber go out,” defender Sarah Cooper said. “And they took advantage on some of those opportunities.”

Minutes later, attacker Erin Coykendall drew multiple SU defenders and Kimber Hower to create a bounce shot with open space. While Hower tried to mimic Coykendall’s movements, the All-Big Ten player scored easily to give Northwestern a lead it held onto for the rest of the game.

Meaghan provided the only goal early after curling from the left side to the center of the arc. Freshman Olivia Adamson also provided the only other attacking success. Adamson started from the left side, using her left hand once she got past Northwestern defenders to find the back of the net. This was part of a freshman season where Adamson filled Emma Ward’s role on the weave, which led to great success.

Still, Adamson’s goal started a near 34-minute scoreless stretch for the Orange. To start the second quarter, SU got another chance on the free position. Carney dumped the ball out to Hawryschuk. But as the sixth-year senior moved to the right side, Hanna Gillespie poked her stick, causing Hawryschuk to go high with hers. This resulted in a foul for the Orange. On the immediate transition, Northwestern’s Leah Holmes scored on a low bounce shot between Hower’s legs.

The inefficient attack continued throughout the game as Syracuse struggled to generate any off-ball movement. Even when it got movement, SU failed to convert. Meaghan curled from the left side again, but Doucette got a piece of the shot, making her eighth save of the game. Even on the subsequent free position, Jenny Markey faced pressure from two Northwestern defenders before Doucette got another deflection on her stick.

“We would get free, but (Doucette) would make great saves,” Treanor said. “So they just had a great game plan.”

Without Emma as the best attacking midfielder, Sam Swart had to fill that role much more. Like Emma had done before, Swart curled at the top of the arc. The Orange were trying to create an offensive spark to start the second half, but Doucette remained strong in net and made her first save of the final 30 minutes.

While Doucette doubled her amount of saves against the Orange in March, both her and Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller were quick to acknowledge the injuries played a part.

“(Northwestern and Syracuse) are two totally different teams,” Amonte Hiller said. “They’ve had a few injuries since then and we’ve had a lot of changes since then (too).”

Meaghan finally ended the drought with 1:52 left in the third quarter, ending the Orange’s longest scoreless streak of the year. She hopped slightly and went to the right side of her defender, switching to her left hand as the team cleared out the 8-meter for her to score her second goal of the game. However, the Orange did not create any momentum out of this as Lauren Gilbert and Jill Girardi scored back-to-back goals.

Hawryschuk, in the final game of her Syracuse career, missed on a pressured shot but drew a free-position chance in the fourth quarter. On the attempt, Hawryschuk didn’t even get a shot off as the backline of Northwestern stood firm, cementing the loss for Syracuse.

Ward and Cockerille could only watch on the sidelines as SU missed on passes and shots. With under seven minutes left in the season, Carney faced stiff pressure and missed again. With the final seconds ticking down, they only could console their teammates as the Wildcats stormed the field. After the celebrations, all the Syracuse players that played in the game took one knee, while the injured players, all wearing gray shirts, stood at a distance.

“It’s heartbreaking and really difficult for all the players,” Treanor said. “We had multiple players get injured and not be able to compete this year. But I think in spite of that, the girls responded incredibly.”