Observations from No. 1 Syracuse’s win: Sweitzer shines again, Ward attacks the cage

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Syracuse began its stretch of conference games on April 1 with a 21-9 win over Virginia. The Orange were only up by one goal after the first period but blew past the Cavaliers as the game wore on with an 11-goal margin in the final three quarters.

SU defeated No. 19 Clemson on Saturday 19-10 in front of packed bleachers at Cicero North Syracuse High School. Syracuse got out to a 9-3 lead in the second quarter, but the Tigers chipped it down to a three goal deficit. A strong end to the third quarter and a complete final period put the game out of reach late.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (14-0. 7-0 Atlantic Coast) win over the Tigers (10-5, 2-5 ACC).

Olivia’s first quarter

Olivia Adamson had two goals and an assist in the first period against Clemson, which was good for her second most points in a game this season. The attacker scored on every shot she took in the first frame and also racked up six draw controls during that time. The Orange fell behind after a goal by the Tigers about 90 seconds into the game. SU then went to Adamson soon after – just two minutes later.

Adamson possessed the ball at the top of the 12 meter. She stutter-stepped and circled around her defender to the right. This created a narrow angle shot, but Adamson handled it. She ripped on through the top of the goal to even the game at one.

Thirty seconds after Adamson’s first goal, Natalie Smith fielded a pass in the middle of the Clemson zone before driving up the field. As she approached the arc, Smith veered to her right and lofted a pass over Clemson defenders to Adamson. The sophomore swooped in, reached up for the ball, and put it past Tigers goalie Emily Lamparter to break the tie.

Syracuse ended up scoring four unanswered goals following Clemson’s first score. Adamson then emerged again in the final seconds of the first quarter. Maddy Baxter was moving up the left side and flipped a pass to Adamson at the middle of the zone. Adamson shuffled forward a bit before finding Emma Ward near the left post. Ward immediately shot the ball, sneaking it past the left of Lamparter to extend the lead to 6-2.

Adamson’s success didn’t end when the first quarter did. She ended up setting a career-high with seven points against Clemson off of three goals and four assists.

Sweitzer Shutdown

Goalie Delaney Sweitzer was sensational once again on Saturday. She saved 13-of-22 shots, giving up just nine goals. Early on, she put some on the highlight reel to slow down Clemson’s scoring.

She gave up an early goal but had an outstanding stop on the next shot. The Tigers were moving the ball with ease around the net and finally, Marina Miller got the ball well within the 8-meter. She took a low shot, giving Sweitzer a split second to react and she got down and grabbed it for the save.

Later in the first period, Sweitzer stopped another shot in close quarters. Clemson’s Maddy Moloney whipped a shot down at the turf, trying to bounce it past Sweitzer. But, the Orange goalie managed to kneel down and trap it in time.

These low, close shots continued into the second quarter. Again, the Tigers were moving the ball comfortably in and around the net a couple minutes into the period. Then, Tigers attacker Belle Martire got possession, jumped up and shot the ball directly down. It deflected off a Syracuse defender and was heading into the net before Sweitzer jumped on it just in time, saving the goal. This performance only continued in the second half.

Halftime funk?

Syracuse ended the first half sporting a comfortable 9-4 lead, but the team was certainly missing something to start the second half. Nine minutes into the third quarter, Clemson was smoking SU in all the major stat categories.

The Tigers had two goals and the Orange hadn’t scored. Syracuse didn’t even put a shot on net until Meaghan Tyrrell scored with six minutes to go in the period. Meanwhile, Clemson had put five shots on Sweitzer in the same amount of time.

Before Meaghan’s score got the Orange in rhythm, Clemson had three draw controls and ground balls while Syracuse hadn’t recorded any. The Orange also coughed up the ball twice and committed seven fouls nine minutes into the third. Although after Meaghan broke the funk, SU rattled off four unanswered goals.

Ward’s time to score

Ward is typically one to set her teammates up for goals, but on Saturday she took for more herself. The junior set her season high with five goals against Clemson.

She got started with less than five minutes to go in the first period. Ward was positioned behind the net. After a brief staredown, she faked out the defender and curled around the left post. With her back to the net, she motioned to her left before side arming a shot behind her back. The ball went to the left of Lamparter, and in to extend the lead to 3-1.

Ward then scored off of Adamson’s assist with two seconds left in the quarter. She followed that up with a goal in the opening minute of the second frame. A Sweitzer save and long pass down the field set up an Orange breakaway. Sierra Cockerille found herself charging down the field in the middle of the Clemson zone. She passed it to her left to Ward, who cut diagonally towards the net. As she entered the 8-meter, Ward rifled a shot past Lamparter for another goal.

The attacker tacked on two more in the second half to finish the game with five goals along with an assist.