Observations from No. 4 SU’s 20-9 win vs. Cornell: Hawryschuk leads, impactful freshmen

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After No. 4 Syracuse fell in a tight 14-12 loss to No. 1 North Carolina in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, it traveled to Ithaca to face Cornell.

The Big Red threw the Orange off early with a five-goal run in the first and second quarters. But SU responded with two scoring runs, one with nine unanswered goals, the other with eight. Emily Hawryschuk, propelled by solid play from freshmen replacements Payton Rowley and Olivia Adamson, tallied a career-high 11 points.

Here are some observations from No. 4 Syracuse’s (11-3, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) 20-9 win over Cornell (7-5, 3-1 Ivy League) on Tuesday:

SU’s 9-0 run makes the difference

The Orange opened the game with a 3-0 run to hold a multi-goal lead. But for the next nine minutes, the Big Red notched five consecutive goals to jump to a 6-3 lead. After that, SU was the only team to score. Rowley started the run with her second goal of the night.

Midway through the second quarter, Meaghan Tyrrell fought for the ball with Olivia Wall after a missed Natalie Smith shot. The battle for the ball eventually came around to the front of the net, forcing Cornell goalie Katie McGahan to try to scoop it up. But McGahan could not control it, and Hawryschuk knocked the ball into the net to make the score 6-5. Then, with over a minute left in the half, Smith posted her first goal of the game to tie the score going into halftime.

At the start of the second half, the Orange took advantage of a yellow card on Cornell’s Reilly Fletcher, allowing Adamson to score her only goal of the game and Hawryschuk to notch her fourth.

Syracuse’s lead only grew, with Meaghan Tyrrell scoring her only two goals of the game in rapid succession. And then Savannah Sweitzer then scored on a behind-the-back goal that hit off of McGahan’s stick into the net. The run ended with Hawryschuk scoring on a free-position shot from the top of the arc.

But the Orange weren’t done with scoring runs, however. With the game already out of reach heading into the fourth quarter, SU went on a 8-0 run. Smith and Hawryschuk scored on free-position goals, while Sam Swart notched two goals in transition.

Hawryschuk’s dominance

Following Rowley’s goal, Hawryschuk dominated the game, finishing with seven goals and 11 points, Hawryschuk’s career high in a single game. She began the game by drawing a foul on Karina Schulze in the arc. On the free position, Hawryschuk didn’t move a muscle and went with an underhand shot that went to the top right corner of the net. Three minutes later, Sweitzer dumped the ball down to Hawryschuk, who made one quick pivot to get past Fletcher to score to give the Orange a 3-1 lead.

In the second half, Hawryschuk cemented SU’s double-digit win. Smith, at the top of the arc, dumped down to Adamson. The freshman quickly looked to Hawryschuk, who faked a shot going upward and then scored on a downward shot. The sixth-year then scored two more goals on the free position and another one on a hard shot from the left side of the arc.

Adamson fills Carney’s role

Not too long after scoring her first goal of the game against the Tar Heels, Megan Carney came out of the game with a nagging lower body injury. She would remain on the sidelines for the rest of the game.

To begin the second half, Meaghan Tyrrell sent a pass to Adamson, who scored the opening goal of the second half. Adamson’s first goal of the night gave SU its first lead since the start of the first quarter. But it was Adamson’s passing that propelled the Orange to their dominant victory as she finished tied for a team-best with four assists.

Payton Rowley breaks out

Before Tuesday’s game against the Big Red, Rowley had played only three games in 2022. The freshman scored twice in the Orange’s blowout victory against Binghamton, but she had not scored since then. But with multiple star players out due to injury, Rowley earned more playing time, and her two goals came at crucial points in the first half against the Big Red.

Hawryschuk stood at the right side of the arc and faced a double team from Cornell. The sixth-year dumped down to a streaking and open Rowley who scored on a bounce shot to tie the game at one. The Big Red countered this Syracuse run with a five-goal of their own to grab a three-score lead.

With just over four minutes left in the second quarter, Adamson moved from behind the net to find Rowley at the middle of the 8-meter. Rowley, with her stick raised high, buried her shot in the right side of the net to cut the deficit to two. In the second half, Rowley almost completed her hat trick, but her shot hit the post. But Rowley finally finished it off in the fourth quarter after Hawryschuk dumped down to her, and the freshman’s shot was able to go in after McGahan bobbled it. Rowley’s goal gave SU a 10-goal lead.