For the first time this season, No. 2 Syracuse (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) trailed at the end of the first half.

Then a successful comeback in the second frame produced a familiar result.

Alyssa Murray and Katie Webster both netted hat tricks to help the Orange storm past No. 10 Boston College (3-1, 1-1) for a hard-fought 11-9 victory in Newton, Mass.

With the win, Syracuse now sits in sole possession of first place in the ACC.

“We rushed our shots early on, and some of our players lost a little confidence,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “We came out in the second and responded.”

The game remained scoreless until Murray received a pass from Kayla Treanor and fired it past BC goalkeeper Emily Mata with 19:41 remaining in the first half.

Mata, though, made five saves during the frame to help the Eagles jump in front. Mikaela Rix provided the offensive fireworks by firing three tallies past SU’s Kelsey Richardson to help build a 4-3 lead by the break.

“It was extremely cold, and it played into BC’s style,” Gait said. “They slowed the ball and the game down.”

But Syracuse was able to pick up the pace.

Webster tied the game only 2:22 into the second half, and minutes later a four-goal spurt put the Orange ahead for good. Treanor began the run with her 17th goal of the year, and freshman Taylor Poplawski also raised her goal tally on the season to 12. Treanor added another score for her team-leading 18th goal.

The Eagles stuck around and faced a manageable 10-8 deficit with only three minutes remaining. Then an empty-net goal by Gabby Jaquith dashed any hopes of overtime.

The Orange will kick off a seven-game home stand Sunday at 1 p.m. against Towson, the team’s third consecutive ranked opponent.

“Being on the road isn’t a bad thing at times,” Gait said, “but it will be good to be back home in the Dome.”

Published on February 26, 2014 at 9:34 pm

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