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Caroline Rehder didn’t expect the ball. In fact, as she caught it, she spun away from the crease. She must’ve thought Payton Rowley didn’t see her.

Cutting into the middle after starting from the right wing, Rowley dodged past Louisville’s Karli Harnischfeger and passed inside to where Rehder stood in traffic, surrounded by seven other players from both squads.

Rehder received Rowley’s pass and performed a pirouette, from right to left. Now, with her back no longer facing the goal, Rehder shot and scored past J Pleck to put the Orange up 17-3. The score marked Rehder’s first career goal for the program.

From scoring its first goal 50 seconds into the game to its 17th, No. 1 Syracuse (11-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast) dominated Louisville (4-6, 1-4 ACC) 17-5 to remain undefeated. For the third time this season, 10 Syracuse players got on the scoresheet in its beatdown of the Cardinals. Prior to today, the Orange recorded 11 different scorers against Binghamton and UAlbany.

SU’s leading scorer, Megan Carney, didn’t notch a single goal. In fact, she didn’t register a single point and produced just three shots. Coming into the game, Carney had 40 goals on the season, but her absence in the box score wasn’t really an issue. Syracuse’s win today, and its plethora of different scorers, displayed fully how versatile the Orange can be.

Emma Tyrrell led all scorers with four goals. Her hat trick came just six minutes into the first quarter. It was the second consecutive game where Emma scored three times in the opening period.

Meaghan Tyrrell picked off a pass near midfield and charged forward in transition. She reached the outside of the 8-meter before the Cardinals defense slowed her down. She quickly turned her back to the net, flipping a hand-off over her shoulder and into Emma’s path. Having already scored her first a couple minutes prior, she easily converted the one-on-one opportunity.

Later on, Natalie Smith picked up speed as she sprinted downfield and passed to Meaghan, who earned a free-position opportunity. At the right wing, Meaghan stepped forward, but lobbed up a pass to Emma right in front of the crease, assisting her sister’s third goal. Following in Emma’s footsteps, the Orange offense followed suit. Going into the second quarter, Syracuse led 7-1 and featured five different scorers.

In eleven games this season, not only have the attackers impressed, but so have SU’s workhorse trio in the midfield. Smith and Maddy Baxter seem to run tirelessly from end to end and have generated 21 goals between the two of them. But, the defensive-minded Sierra Cockerille has emerged as an unlikely but frequent scorer.

Streaking toward goal from the right flank, Cockerille had Louisville’s Peri Riegner tailing her and Hannah Morris attempting to cut her run off. A couple of paces later and the two probably would’ve sandwiched her, halting the Syracuse attack toward the latter half of the opening quarter. So, Cockerille fired from just one step into the 8-meter, flinging a shot which screamed past Sara Addeche and into the opposite, top left corner to put SU up 7-1. Although Cockerille scored just one goal, her season total now stands at an impressive 14.

Obtaining its fifth win in conference play, Syracuse offense is at the core of its success. This season, the Orange lead the ACC in goals per game, tallying just over 16. They also rank 2nd in Division-I in shooting percentage, peppering the goal but converting 53.1% of shots. Another impressive aspect of its multi-faceted trips attacking moves are SU’s ability to score off of assists. It leads the NCAA in assists with just under 10 a game.

Emma Ward is at the forefront of Syracuse’s obsession with facilitating. Oftentimes, head coach Kayla Treanor places her at the X. Behind the net, Ward uses her physical prowess and keen eye to dodge past defenders before finding an open teammate. These skills have helped her to manage seven assists on three separate occasions this year. Against the Cardinals, Ward finished with two.

Toward the end of the contest, Rehder wasn’t the only surprise player to net a goal. Sophomore attack, Shira Parower scored with 6:50 remaining in the game for Syracuse’s 16th goal. Tiptoeing from the right sideline inward, Parower closed in on goal and noticed that Louisville’s Maggie Foster had allowed her an open lane. Foster had reallocated her efforts to marking Meaghan.

Sprinting forward, she pump-faked once from an impossible angle before readjusting and sending a shot flying past Pleck for her second career goal and her first of the season.

Published on March 25, 2023 at 4:39 pm

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff