Observations from No. 5 SU’s victory over No. 18 Army: Zone improvements, Smith’s breakout
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Following an opening game loss to No. 1 Northwestern Saturday to open the 2024 season, Syracuse returned to the JMA Wireless Dome for its home opener — a place it hasn’t lost since April 9, 2022 versus then-No.1 North Carolina.
In its 18-15 loss to the Wildcats just four days ago, Syracuse’s inability in the draw circle along with a first quarter meltdown hurt any chance of an upset victory. While the Orange won the final three quarters 13-10, their eight goals allowed in the first quarter was far too much to overcome.
Coming off the loss, Syracuse faced a familiar face yet a team it has never faced in its 26-year history. Army head coach Michelle Tumolo started for SU from 2010-13, even being teammates with Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor for one season in 2013.
Like SU, Army dropped its opening game of 2024 as well, falling 13-9 to University of Southern California. But it faltered at the opposite end of the spectrum, allowing six goals in the fourth quarter. Facing the Black Knights meant a chance for Syracuse to get back on track.
Here are some observations from No. 5 Syracuse’s (1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 18-7 drubbing of Army (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League):
First quarter recharge
In its opening loss against Northwestern, SU began as slow as it possibly could. Just 22 seconds into the opening matchup, the Orange fell behind early as Madison Taylor beat Delaney Sweitzer to give the Wildcats a lead they never relinquished.
At the end of the first quarter, Syracuse trailed 8-2, prompting attack Olivia Adamson to call the first quarter performance “unacceptable” at a media session three days later. To open the game against the Black Knights — although Syracuse’s struggles on the draw control continued — its lockdown defense and efficient attack spurred a 4-0 run.
Defensively, SU started in a zone defense, forcing a turnover on Army’s first possession of the game and quickly turning it to offense. After scoring two goals in the opening game, Ward quickly went to work, giving SU the lead with a goal less than two minutes in.
Syracuse’s offense continued to surge as Natalie Smith, Maddy Baxter and Payton Rowley each ended with two goals a piece. After 15 minutes of play, SU had eight goals — six more than it did in the entire first half in its previous game.
Rowley and Smith breakout
Entering the 2024 season, Ward and Emma Tyrrell were two key returning pieces from 2023. But in its second game of the season, as Tyrrell has stumbled to start, Smith and Rowley broke out, combining for eight goals.
In her first two seasons, at SU, Rowley totalled just seven goals through 14 games. But against Army, Rowley found her footing. In the first quarter, Rowley totaled two goals, helping SU register eight-goals in the opening period. In the second, she quickly got back to work, scoring another three and a half minutes into the quarter. Rowley finished the game with a career-high four goals, passing her previous career high from her freshman season against Cornell.
For Smith, it’s been a continued growth as time has gone on. In 2023, she had a career year with 21 goals. To begin her senior campaign against Northwestern, Smith tallied four points on three goals. Against Army, Smith only upped the ante, solidifying herself as a top option for SU. Versus the Black Knights, Smith was a do it all player, helping SU to a fast start by scoring two goals and an assist in the first quarter. Smith ended the outing with a game-high six points.
With Megan Carney and Meaghan Tyrrell gone, early on in the season it’s vital for the Orange to find additional scoring options to replace their production. And so far through two games, SU seems to have found those options.
Zoning in
Northwestern’s potent attack obliterated Syracuse’s zone defense in the first quarter, scoring eight goals to create an insurmountable deficit for SU. Treanor opted to switch to a man-to-man defense, resulting in a much improved Syracuse defense.
Despite the man-to-man defense working better versus the Wildcats, Treanor reverted back to the zone defense, a decision she declared was based on the matchup at hand.
“We tweak the zone for every game and we’ve got to be able to make those adjustments in game,” Treanor said to the media Wednesday.
The zone performed better against Army and stuck with it for the duration of the game. In the first half, Syracuse’s defense was air tight, allowing just three goals through the first 30 minutes of play. Its defense faltered slightly in the beginning of the second half, allowing two straight goals, but quickly shifted back into place, allowing two the rest of the way.
The zone also helped to shut down Brigid Duffy, who totaled 56 goals last season. SU didn’t allow Duffy to find the back of the net until six minutes left in the second quarter, limiting her to four goals on the day.
A work in progress on the draws
Syracuse’s draw control struggled mightily in the draw circle against Northwestern, losing 24-of-37 opportunities. After the poor performance, Treanor characterized the performance as “not good”.
Early on, the struggles continued, losing six of the first nine. But rather than try varying options like she did against the Wildcats, Treanor stuck with Kate Mashewske who struggled in her return from an injury. But as the game against the Black Knights progressed, Mashewske began to find her footing.
In the second quarter and on, Mashewske won 11-of-16 opportunities, a large improvement from her previous performance. While the final three quarters showed improvement, the first quarter struggles make SU’s draw circle a continued work in progress as it faces No. 9 Maryland Saturday.
