Kailah Kempney played about as well as she possibly could against Boston College. Her five goals helped Syracuse establish its scoring dominance, and her 10 draw controls matched the amount the Eagles won as a team.

And yet her performance still went virtually unnoticed.

‘It doesn’t really bother me,’ the SU attack said. ‘I’m just a freshman, and Alyssa (Murray) broke a record and played amazing. I’m just there to help out the team. If you get recognized, you get recognized. If not, you know you still helped the team.’

Kempney also tallied an assist to go along with her scoring output and dominance in draws in No. 11 Syracuse’s season-opening 23-12 victory over the No. 14 Eagles on Feb. 21. Meanwhile, Murray set a program record with eight goals. No one seemed to notice Kempney’s play, which single-handedly showed the Orange’s newfound strength in draw controls.

Kempney came to SU (1-1, 0-0 Big East) with some lofty expectations, but she has exceeded them early this season. The attack was an Under Armour All-American after scoring 118 goals during her senior year at Carthage High School, but even she didn’t expect the immediate results she has gotten, especially taking draws.

‘I did know I was going to be taking some (draws). I took them ever since I started playing. I always took the draws for Carthage,’ Kempney said. ‘But I really did not know, and I’m just so excited. It’s my favorite part of the game.’

SU head coach Gary Gait said the Orange’s struggles in draw controls was one of the main reasons the team limped to a 10-8 record and missed the NCAA tournament last season. With 13 draw controls in the first two games of her career, Kempney could be the solution to that problem.

‘It’s certainly better than we’ve been in the past,’ Gait said. ‘Kailah has worked really hard to improve her skills, and she’s only a freshman and she’s leading our team in draw controls.’

Kempney wasn’t the only player getting it done at the dot in the season opener, though. Ten other Syracuse players combined to win 17 more draws and held Boston College to just 10 draw controls.

Against No. 6 Virginia, the Orange wasn’t quite as dominant on draws but still matched the Cavaliers with nine.

The newfound success is crucial for this SU team. The Orange wants to get out in transition and run, and the team must win draws to do that.

Though causing turnovers can also spark transition, it also gives the defense an opportunity to get back and slow the offense down. Off a draw control, Syracuse has the chance to immediately attack its opponent.

‘That’s why we were so successful in the BC game,’ SU attack Michelle Tumolo said. ‘… That’s why we won — because of our transition off the draws. It’s been an awesome thing to have because then we’re scoring goals because our midfield and our attack is so fast.’

Against the Eagles, the Orange won 27 of the 37 draws in the game to propel Syracuse to its 23-12 blowout.

In the 9-7 loss to Virginia, in which SU tied the Cavaliers in draws, Syracuse only managed seven goals. In many games, the difference between a win and a loss can come on draw controls.

‘You have possession, you can score, so you want the ball at the beginning of the game,’ Kempney said. ‘Usually, if you look at the draw controls and the goals scored it usually matches up.’

And though Kempney’s teammates acknowledge how important her success on draw controls is to the team, she has also shown the ability to find the back of the net as well.

Kempney followed up her five-goal debut with a pair of goals against the Cavaliers. Her eight points are good for second on the team.

And even she couldn’t have imagined that impressive production coming into the season.

‘I was going for two (goals),’ Kempney said of her first career game. ‘It was a really exciting game. A lot of them are just you’re there at the last minute, not really goals you expected to have.’

dbwilson@syr.edu