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After falling to top-ranked North Carolina on April 9, Syracuse bounced back with three straight wins, all against unranked opponents. 

The Orange dominated Cornell 20-9 on the road last Tuesday, as Emily Hawryschuk set a personal best with 11 points, recording seven goals and four assists to lead Syracuse to a bounce-back win. Against Louisville, the Orange started off slow and relied on Meaghan Tyrrell’s five goals to end the first half with a one-goal lead at halftime. But the Orange exploded in the third quarter, scoring 12 goals to cruise to a 23-13 win for their sixth conference win.

In its most recent victory against UAlbany, Hawryschuk set another record. She scored four goals en route to breaking Kayla Treanor’s record of 260 goals to become Syracuse’s all-time career goal scoring leader as Syracuse went on to win 18-11.

Here’s what you need to know about Syracuse (13-3, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) as they face Boston College (13-2, 5-2 ACC) in a championship rematch:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 18-7.

Last time they played

The teams last met in the 2021 NCAA Championship game. Treanor was an assistant for Boston College at the time, and the Eagles prevailed 16-10.

In the first half, BC’s Charlotte North opened up the scoring with an unassisted goal in the third minute of the game, but Sam Swart quickly responded with a goal of her own. The game went back and forth, and North scored two more goals in the opening half, but a late goal from Emma Ward cut the lead to 9-8 at halftime.

Although the game was close, Emma Tyrrell earned two yellow cards in the first half, resulting in the Orange playing a player down the rest of the game. And the fatigue showed in the second half when Boston College opened the second half with three straight goals in the first five minutes. Syracuse didn’t score until 13 minutes into the second half and could never mount a true comeback. 

The Eagles report

Boston College has proven it could make another run to the National Championship game. The Eagles have doubled their opponents’ goal total, scoring 264 goals having only allowed 136.

Boston College also has numerous offensive threats, with five players having scored over 25 goals this season. The Orange will be familiar with North, who scored six goals in last year’s national title game and leads the Eagles with 65 goals on the season. Defensively, the Eagles are 38th in the nation in caused turnovers per game and rank 11th in draw controls won per game.

While the Eagles will be one of the toughest opponents Syracuse has played this season, they have proven to be vulnerable at times, losing to both then-No. 2 UNC and then-No. 7 Duke by one goal.

How Syracuse beats Boston College

Against UNC, as Syracuse was still adjusting to the loss of Emma Tyrrell, Natalie Smith emerged as a potential replacement in the midfield. But it wasn’t until the Cornell and Louisville games that Payton Rowley and Jenny Markey proved they can also play an impactful role.

To beat Boston College, all three players will once again need to step up to take pressure off of Meaghan Tyrrell and Hawryschuk to produce offensively. The Orange also can’t afford a slow start, which has been the case against its recent opponents. It's unlikely Syracuse will be able to pull off a 12-goal third quarter like it had against Louisville to salvage a win. 

Player to watch: Charlotte North, attack, No. 8 

The game’s outcome will rely on whether Syracuse can handle North, the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner. As impressive as Meaghan Tyrrell has been for Syracuse this season, it’s arguable that North has been even more impressive for the Eagles. 

The fifth-year senior was a problem for the Orange in the championship game last season with her six goals, and she currently has 65 goals on the season, which is the fourth-most in the nation and the most in the ACC. 

North is also a threat on the draw, and even though responsibilities are split three ways between her, Hollie Schleicher and Courtney Taylor, she has earned 98 draw controls, which ranks 16th-best in the country.

Stat to know: 17.6 goals per game

Boston College ranks fourth in the NCAA in goals per game, only behind North Carolina, Jacksonville and Duke. The high-powered Eagles offense is what has carried them to their No. 3 ranking, having never scored below 15 goals this season (except against Denver, which only lasted three quarters). 

The Eagles take 34.47 shots per game, the 10th-most in the nation, and score about half of them per game. Only about 37% of their goals have been assisted on, so recognizing isolation situations is a key part of the Eagles’ offensive strategy.

Published on April 20, 2022 at 9:45 pm

Contact Adam: amccaffe@syr.edu