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When Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor met with the media for the first time since its loss to Boston College in the Final Four, there was an obvious elephant in the room. Two of the best players to ever put on an SU uniform weren’t there.

Meaghan Tyrrell — the Orange’s all-time points leader — and Megan Carney — SU’s leading scorer in 2023 — had graduated from the program. In the blink of an eye, the star duo took their talents from the lacrosse field to the microphone.

“Well, the Megs, we got to check out their podcast,” Treanor joked.

But once Treanor dove headfirst into the question of life without them, she was optimistic about her team’s depth. While the Megs rightfully stole the show in the past, Syracuse had an array of talent waiting in the wings. At the same time, SU brought in a crop of high-caliber players ready to make an instant impact.

“We have some new faces and some players that played a little bit last year that are gonna play significant roles for us,” Treanor later said.

Life without the Megs proved difficult at first. Against then-No. 1 Northwestern, SU’s slow offensive start plagued it in an 18-15 loss. Two games later, the Orange mustered a season-low eight goals in a 9-8 double overtime loss to then-No. 9 Maryland. Six games into 2024, after losing to then-No. 15 Stony Brook in overtime, SU had already lost as many games as it did a year prior.

Despite its slow start to the season, Syracuse’s offense has come into its own recently, riding a four-game winning streak — including two top-10 wins — while averaging 17.5 goals per game. With their array of threats, the Orange have shown they have an abundance of talent to thrive without the Megs and chase their first-ever National Championship.

SU showed a glimpse of its returned mojo following back-to-back wins over then-No. 2 Notre Dame and Duke. But then Stony Brook boastfully stormed into what head coach Joe Spallina proclaimed the “Yankee Stadium” of lacrosse.

“I practiced against better girls every single day,” Stony Brook defender Avery Hines said. “So today I came in with a lot of confidence, knowing that we were going to perform.”

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Syracuse’s postgame morale was a season-low. Olivia Adamson and Emma Ward were at a loss for words. Treanor was disappointed, saying her team didn’t play to its potential.

It was a game they wouldn’t have lost with the Megs. But with the preseason No. 5 team in the country sitting at .500, a sense of urgency seemingly kicked in. A fluent and cohesive attack was born.

The Orange needed to make a statement to themselves. And it did with damning results versus Virginia Tech. Across a 7-0 run through the first 16 minutes of the contest, Maddy Baxter (two), Ward, Natalie Smith, Adamson, Joely Caramelli and Savannah Sweitzer all scored. Syracuse’s ball movement was crisp. Its attack was patient. Most importantly, nothing was forced.

In the past, Smith and Adamson took a backseat to the Megs. But now, it’s their time. Adamson’s 29 goals lead the Orange while Smith’s 24 rank third. Adamson is set to shatter her career-high in goals (31), while Smith has already set a career-best mark 10 games into the season.

“(Smith and Adamson) have been such a major component,” freshman defender Kaci Benoit said. “They’re such great players, and they bring the intensity, they bring the stick work, they bring everything to the table.”

The two have perfectly complemented Ward and Emma Tyrrell, who have continued their dominance. Sandwiched in between the Megs last year, the Emmas placed second (Ward, 94) and third (Tyrrell, 68) in points for the Orange. In 2024, they’ve remained second (Ward, 39) and third (Tyrrell, 34), sitting behind Adamson (44).

Even though the Emmas displayed inconsistency early on, it was clear who the two most impactful players on the field were when Syracuse hosted then-No. 9 North Carolina. SU jumped out to a 6-1 lead two minutes into the second quarter. No matter who Syracuse attacked with, UNC didn’t have an answer as Smith, Ward, Adamson, Emma Muchnick, Baxter and Payton Rowley all scored.

In the second half, the Emmas did what they do best. With the Orange’s offense clicking on all cylinders, Tyrrell notched four second-half goals and Ward accumulated three assists as Syracuse handed North Carolina a 20-5 loss — UNC’s worst defeat in program history. Tyrrell poured in a season-high eight points while Ward added five.

SU then scored 20 goals for the second consecutive game, handling UAlbany in blowout fashion. Between seven goal scorers, Adamson, Ward and Tyrrell led the way by each scoring four times.

But it’s not just those three and Smith who can carry Syracuse’s offense. For the first time this season, none of the four netted a hat trick against then-No. 9 Virginia. Instead, Baxter stepped up, pouring in a career-high five goals to secure the Orange a top-10 win where they didn’t play nearly their best.

Lost in the shuffle of everything is the absence of freshmen Alexa Vogelman and Ashlee Volpe. The former No. 5 and 21 rated recruits by Inside Lacrosse, respectively, each suffered season-ending injuries in the preseason.

Even without its top-end freshmen, Syracuse has seen newcomers Caramelli and Muchnick come into their own. Plus, Sweitzer, Rowley and Meghan Rode have all shown they can produce when called upon.

SU’s new-look, new-style attack took some time for the players to adjust. But now it has an identity. It’s not a couple of players that will beat opposing teams. It’s a combination of 10 who can beat you in many different ways.

According to Lacrosse Reference, Syracuse’s adjusted offensive efficiency hasn’t taken a hit, only down 1.3% from a year ago. This team has the depth to be better than it was when the Megs were in charge. The sky’s the limit for SU’s attack, and there’s no reason why they can’t bring home the program’s first National Championship.

Published on March 27, 2024 at 12:19 am