The new dawn of star players: Syracuse Women’s Lacrosse

By Nola Patty

Emma Ward- junior attacker #44 – takes the ball to X, after working it around the 8-meter arch. As Ward wraps around the crease, she makes a beautiful pass to #18 Meaghan Tyrrell. She fakes a low shot then fires it high and nets a goal. Syracuse improves their record to 13-0.

So far this season the University of North Carolina has fallen to 5th in the standings. While Boston College has fallen to 7th. In the 2022 season, UNC was #1 and BC was #2. Syracuse ended the season in 6th. Syracuse’s women’s lacrosse has been climbing in the rankings this season. They currently sit at #1 with Northwestern and Denver trailing behind them. Why is this so important though?

With Charlotte North playing her last season at BC in 2022, many people wondered what would happen to the team. Well, not too good. Boston College had one of the top lacrosse programs in the NCAA for years but recently has shown less dominance. In 2022, Boston beat Northwestern 18-9, now this season they lost 15-14. BC’s record (as of 4/7/23) currently sits at 9-3; this same time last year they were 11-1.

North averaged 5 points a game in her final season with BC. Most known for her hard shot, North’s iconic wind-up on the 8-meter took her career far. She played 51 games with the Maroon and Gold, and she had 217 goals and 41 assists total for 264 points in 3 years. The star for BC left and it shows.

Jamie Ortega is a UNC legend. Playing 5 seasons with the Tar Heels she bagged 579 points (403 goals and 176 assists). In the 2022 season, Ortega also averaged 5 points a game, scoring at least 1 goal in 20 out of 22 games.

Most teams only have one or two star players, but Syracuse seems to have multiple. Everyone on the Syracuse team has a specific spot that highlights their strengths.

During the game against Virginia, Emma Ward had a career-high of 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists). Goaltender Delaney Sweitzer had a save percentage of .357%. Along with Meaghan Tyrell netting 6 goals for the Orange. These are just a few players that make this team so amazing. Emma Tyrell – sister to Meaghan Tyrell- has bagged 32 goals in 13 games so far this season. She averages around 3 points a game.

Leading the team as head coach is Kayla Treanor. She joined the coaching staff on June 23, 2021, becoming the third head coach in Syracuse history. Treanor’s staff bio states, “Treanor ranks seventh on the NCAA and second on Syracuse’s all-time scoring list (393 points). Treanor graduated as Syracuse’s all-time goal leader and currently ranks second (260) and fourth in career assists (133). She set the single-season school record with 79 goals in 2014 and established the program mark for draw controls in a season (217) in 2016, which stood as the NCAA record until 2019.” With a lot of history at Syracuse, she knows her way around the program.

Girls all over the United States look up to these players and strive to be just like them. Speaking with Oakmont sophomore goalkeeper Annika Sallila, she says she looks up to Sweitzer. ” I like that she plays a little loose but is still very quick. She has very good fundamentals and sticks with those.” Sweitzer’s ability to move quickly has helped her in sticky situations this season.

Oakmont Varsity Lacrosse Captain Sarah Sicard says ,” Their team bond is what makes them so strong. They trust their teammates to make/catch good passes, defend the girl they are on, and communicate when they need help. I see this within our team sometimes.” Star players bring the team up with them. Trust in your teammates is a huge fundamental that many teams overlook.

While Syracuse’s program continues to grow, so do its players. Many are excited to see where the team lands this season in the playoffs.