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Less than five minutes into Syracuse’s matchup against UAlbany, Emma Ward was positioned right behind the goal. She noticed Megan Carney creeping into the 8-meter arc and delivered a pass over the crossbar and between multiple Great Dane defenders.

Carney grabbed the pass and immediately sent it to the back of the net to put the Orange up 3-1. UAlbany goalie Aislinn Sweeney didn’t turn around in time to stop the shot, watching Ward behind her.

“It works because of that deception and not standing around people who are cutting,” Ward said. “Just knowing what people are going to be doing, and just getting comfortable with the people around us.”

Emma Ward earned a career-high seven points in Syracuse’s (5-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) 22-5 defeat of UAlbany (2-3, 0-0 America East). The junior hit this mark twice in 2021, but did it for the third time on Wednesday. Her five assists were also the most she’s had in a game all season. All but one of the assists came when Ward was set up at the X position behind the net.

Twenty seconds after her dish to Carney, Tessa Queri spotted Ward cutting up from behind the goal near the left post. She flipped it to the attacker, who then wrapped around to her right, as Sweeney tried to track her. But Ward extended her stick past the UAlbany defender and flicked a shot to the right of Sweeney for the fourth Syracuse goal of the afternoon.

“We were just reading the defense,” Ward said. “They were in a zone, so we stacked behind. They only left one back there. I think besides the cut, the bigger part of it is that Tess gave up the ball for me to score and made that feed.”

Soon after Ward’s first goal, she handled the ball behind the goal again as she swung around to the left side. She directed a pass up and over the net and across Sweeney’s face to Meaghan Tyrrell. The graduate student was lingering next to the right post as the ball landed perfectly in the pocket of her stick. Meaghan finished the job, putting the ball to the left of Sweeney and past her to give the Orange a 6-1 lead.

Ward was once again cradling the ball near the X several minutes after her immaculate assist to Meaghan. Although this time around, she didn’t stay put behind Sweeney. Ward burst through to the front of the net near the right post, spun around and flung the ball to Jenny Markey running up the seam toward the goal. The midfielder shot the ball as she caught it, falling down in the process. But, the ball flew by Sweeney to the right of the net to put the score at 7-1.

Ward ended the first half with five points on four assists and a goal, and she continued her success into the third quarter quickly. Less than a minute in, Sierra Cockerille lobbed a pass from right behind the goal all the way to the opposite side to Ward. Ward casually looked to her left, and sure enough, Olivia Adamson was cutting up toward the middle of the goal. She made what seemed like a routine pass that dodged several UAlbany defenders. Adamson put the ball in as she caught the pass to expand the lead to 15-2.

“Knowing where everyone on our offense wants to be and how they like to cut and just having those connections makes my job really easy,” Ward said.

With two minutes left in the same period, a foul on Great Dane defender Mackenzie Beam set up a free-position opportunity for Ward. She started for the right side of the 8-meter and took one step before whipping the ball through the right side of the net. Her conversion had the Orange up 19-2.

Ward was extremely efficient against UAlbany, as all of her shots found the back of the net.

“Everybody around me makes my job really easy when they’re able to get open, so it’s just a team effort and just knowing your role and knowing what to do and when to do it,” Ward said. “I couldn’t have 5 assists unless the people I throw the ball to finish their goals.”

Published on March 1, 2023 at 8:00 pm

Contact Matthew: [email protected]