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Meaghan Tyrrell neared the middle of the 8-meter before darting toward the goal.

She beat Loyola’s Cydney Lisk and fired a shot into the top right corner, past Lauren Spence, to give Syracuse an 8-7 lead with just seven minutes remaining in the game.

Her score gave Syracuse back the lead after Sierra Cockerille equalized five minutes prior. And before that, the Orange were on the brink of its first loss this season despite heading into halftime with a commanding 6-3 lead over the Greyhounds.

In a back-and-forth battle on Wednesday night, SU (8-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) came from behind to beat No. 9 Loyola (5-2, 0-0 Patriot League) 9-7. The low-scoring affair helped Syracuse to a program-best 8-0 start in 2023 and its fourth ranked win.

After achieving a career high seven assists and eight points last time out against Notre Dame, Emma Ward opened up the contest with a free-position goal just over five minutes into the first quarter. Then, in what looked like a defensive miscommunication for SU’s backline, Anna Ruby received the ball a few paces away from the crease and netted past Delaney Sweitzer to tie things up at one. Catching a pass from Sydni Black, Ruby looked almost shocked with the space she was given and was quick to get a shot off.

For the next nine minutes, the Orange offense answered in dominant fashion, scoring three unanswered to jump out to a 4-1 advantage. Natalie Smith scored her sixth of the young season before Megan Carney and Olivia Adamson both converted. Carney’s effort came from the X where she lost her defender before careful placement into the bottom left, while Adamson was successful in SU’s second free-position point of the night.

Going into the second half down three, the Greyhounds replied with a run of their own, scoring the game’s next four goals. Much of Syracuse’s inability to defend came from losing at the draw circle. Embarking on a new chapter since losing draw-control specialist Kate Mashewske to a season-ending lower-body injury against the Fighting Irish, the Orange featured Smith, Adamson, Cockerille and even Katie Goodale in replacement. But, SU were outclassed at the draw, losing a lopsided battle 14-5.

From almost the exact same spot where she earned her first, Ruby completed her hat trick with 9:36 left in the third period, closing the deficit to two, 6-4. Just 30 seconds later, Meg Hillman ran toward the right side of the 8-meter before finding an unmarked Ruby making a darting run across the face of goal. Catching the ball in stride, Ruby fired a fourth past Sweitzer for Loyola’s fifth of the competition.

A chance to tie the game from Hillman came at the 5:29 mark. Off of a free-position opportunity, Hillman started on the right flank before moving diagonally, hoping to free up a clean look at the SU net. However, her high shot was met and parried by Sweitzer before Cockerille pounced on the ground ball.

Jillian Wilson knotted things up at six apiece with an assist from Chase Boyle before becoming the provider for Boyle during the dying embers of the penultimate quarter. Swinging possession back and forth with Wilson just outside the 8-meter, Boyle took just a couple of steps inside the arc before sending a blistering attempt into the top left corner. The 7-6 lead was the Greyhounds’ first of the night.

Positioned at the draw circle, near the start of the fourth period, Cockerille ran to her right, circling the inside of the 8-meter. She hesitated twice before dodging past Daryl Coss. Then, without warning, Cockerille sent a blistering shot toward Spence and into the back of the net. Throwing her stick down emphatically in celebration, the play pumped life back into a scoreless Orange offense.

After Meaghan returned the advantage to Syracuse, Carney scored her second to give SU a two goal cushion with under five minutes remaining. Carney’s contribution iced the game and was the last point between the two sides.

Published on March 15, 2023 at 10:43 pm

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff