Observations from No. 2 SU’s 8-7 loss to No. 3 Boston College: Martello’s game-winner, strong defense
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Syracuse won its second straight game last Thursday, beating James Madison 13-7 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Olivia Adamson led all scorers with four goals and Megan Carney added a hat trick to advance the Orange to their second Championship Weekend in the last three years.
In Cary, North Carolina, No. 2 SU took on No. 3 seeded Boston College with a trip to the national title game on the line. A familiar foe, BC dashed Syracuse’s dreams in the 2021 tournament final and ended its hopes of an undefeated regular season this year.
The Orange couldn’t have scripted a better start Friday night and led 3-0 within minutes of the opening whistle. But, what followed was a back-and-forth encounter. In the waning seconds of the game, BC and SU were tied. Then, despite the Eagles never leading at any point in the game beforehand, junior attack Kayla Martello clinched victory from a free-position goal.
Here are some observations from No. 2 Syracuse’s (18-3, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) NCAA semifinal loss to No. 3 Boston College (19-3, 8-1 ACC).
A Call-And-Answer Game
Every time Syracuse went up, Boston College responded. When the Orange began the game on a 3-0 run, the Eagles answered by netting three unanswered goals. And, when Natalie Smith, Maddy Baxter and Megan Carney scored to distance SU again, BC attack Jenn Medjid found the net back-to-back times to even the scoreline at seven in the final period.
Sierra Cockerille drove right before stopping to survey her options. She found Adamson on the opposite side of the field and launched a pass over. Adamson retained possession at the 12-meter and, without hesitation, fired toward the net to pierce the top right corner for the game’s first goal. Emma Ward followed that up with two of her own. First came a free-position score. Then, following a feed from Meaghan Tyrrell, Ward curled around the cage and came up near the right side of the crease to nestle a goal into the top left corner.
Medjid put the Eagles on the board with her 78th score of the season off a pinpoint assist from McKenna Davis. Soon after, Cassidy Weeks scored after losing Tessa Queri at X to slot a goal past Delaney Sweitzer. Medjid found the back of the net once more to knot things up at three apiece to end the first.
In the second, Adamson glanced downfield to find Emma Tyrrell right in front of net. Emma’s goal, with 4:25 remaining until halftime, gifted Syracuse a slim 4-3 lead. But about two minutes later, Medjid grabbed her hat trick after receiving a pass from Andrea Reynolds. Circling into the 8-meter, Medjid finished off a coordinated move by burying an effort into the right-hand corner.
Throughout the first half, It seemed like when Syracuse struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end, its lackluster play was unavoidably mimicked by Boston College. And, when BC couldn’t find a way past Sweitzer, Dolce and company shut down a multi-faceted Orange attack. In the end, with the game going down to the wire, a game-winner was always going to be in store.
Defense Takes Center Stage
Despite possessing two of the ACC’s top offenses, Syracuse and Boston College were locked in a defensive battle for much of the first half. The SU zone stifled much of the Eagles’ moves going forward while BC’s freshman goalie, Shea Dolce, stood tall to deny the Orange’s star-studded attack. By the end of the opening 30 minutes, both sides, which average a combined 31 goals a game, mustered just eight.
From the jump, Boston College opted to face guard Meaghan, handing the task to Shea Baker. The midfielder kept Meaghan out of the game for much of the first two quarters, forcing her to stray away from the action, isolated on the right flank.
For Syracuse, Katie Goodale continued to anchor a defense that has allowed an average of under 10 goals a game over the course of this season. Most notably, on two separate occasions, Goodale drew momentum-shifting charges. She drew the first in the middle of the 8-meter and another toeing the BC sideline.
Nearing the end of the first quarter, Maddy Baxter beat her marker to charge forward, entering the 8-meter. But, the patented BC man-to-man defense converged quickly. Belle Smith cut off Baxter’s run, creating a double team to force a switch in possession. The stop was one of many in a long, 22-minute scoring drought for the Orange.
At the other end, Davis found space near the crease and flung an effort toward the goal. Her attempt rang off the right pipe and bounced off of Sweitzer’s helmet in net before parrying back into open play.
Then, with four seconds remaining, Adamson burst free. Positioned in an almost identical position as Davis moments prior, she fired away from point-blank range. Dolce reacted quickly. Leaping to her left, Dolce anticipated where Adamson wanted to place her shot and saved the ball with her chest. The save was one of five she made in the first half.
In the second half, the Syracuse backline continued to do its job. Goodale snuffed out dangerous inward passes around SU’s defensive third while both Queri and Hallie Simkins disturbed shots and unraveled BC’s offensive sets. Boston College’s defense never faltered. It forced double-digit Orange turnovers while clogging up the middle during Syracuse’s moves forward.
Game Winner
BC’s Kayla Martello drew a free-position off of a shooting space violation. An opportunity stood before the junior attack to give her team its first lead of the evening. She had 58 goals on the season as her foot inched against the 8-meter circle.
The whistle blew and Martello sprang into action on the left-hand side. Immediately, she charged forward and angled toward the middle, forcing herself into a preferred position. Martello pump-faked once to test Sweitzer before finding the top left corner for the game-winner.
In its sixth consecutive Championship Weekend, Boston College is headed to its third consecutive final.
