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The past three games had been a rollercoaster for Syracuse. Facing then-No. 6 Stanford, Mileena Cotter’s game-winning overtime goal saved the Orange from a fourth straight loss. Head coach Kayla Treanor praised the win, noting that SU proved it could rise to the occasion in tight games. But there was no time to celebrate.

Three days later, Syracuse was pushed to the limit again by then-No. 7 Johns Hopkins. Despite trailing late, the Blue Jays tied the game and forced overtime. Without any more overtime magic, the Orange fell, bringing their record back to .500.

Finally, Syracuse caught a break against unranked Pittsburgh. The Orange built a 10-4 halftime lead and cruised to a 17-11 win. Even with star attacker Emma Ward held in check, underclassmen stepped up to help SU get back on track. Syracuse then returned to ranked play against No. 17 Loyola, where its offense surged in the first half. Despite a strong second-half comeback by Loyola, SU held on to win.

Here are some observations from No. 8 Syracuse’s (6-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) 14-12 win over No. 17 Loyola (5-5, 2-0 Patriot League) Wednesday:

Draw unit outclassed

Syracuse’s draw control unit has shown slight improvement across its last two games with Joely Caramelli in the circle, but Treanor knows it still is nowhere near where it needs to be. Since taking on the starting job in the circle, the sophomore has led the unit to win the draw battle in two of its last three games.

Coming off a disappointing 14-for-31 mark against Pitt — a team not known for their skill on the draw — Caramelli and Co. were faced with arguably their greatest test yet against Loyola. Spearheaded by Chase Boyle’s 85 wins, the Greyhounds entered Wednesday’s bout with the third-best adjusted draw control efficiency in the country (70.3%).

Would the Orange embrace the challenge or fold into yet another ugly day on the draw? Syracuse fell into the latter.

Raking in two of the first five draws in the game, Caramelli and the rest of SU’s draw unit showed potential early on against one of the nation’s premier teams in the circle. But it was only fool’s gold. Collecting just two of the next 13 draws before halftime, another atrocious outing in the circle was in the cards for the Orange.

Bringing a 4-for-20 mark into the third quarter, the sledding didn’t get any easier for SU’s group. Meghan Rode took back her spot as SU’s leader on the draw, and Syracuse responded with a 4-for-5 mark in the circle over the next 15 minutes. Despite its efforts to mix things up between Caramelli and Rode, SU’s first-half blunders on the draw were too much for it to cover up.

A 10-for-29 day proved to be the latest installment in its lackluster season so far in the circle.

Not-so dynamic duo

Despite the loss of its top point-scorer in Sydni Black, the backbone of Loyola’s attack has still remained very much intact in 2025. In the absence of Black, attackers Boyle and Georgia Latch have seen expanded roles so far this season. Accounting for 44% of the Greyhounds goals this season, much of their offense has run through their sticks.

That wasn’t the case in the first quarter. As usual, the Orange called on Superia Clark and Co. to faceguard the opposition’s most dangerous offensive weapons. Their next assignment? Boyle and Latch.

Consistently face-guarded in the midfield, Boyle and Latch were handcuffed throughout the first quarter. By the time Latch converted her first goal, Syracuse had already gotten three. Nearly midway through the second, she snuck into the 12-meter fan and struck again. From there, she managed just two assists across the second and third quarters.

At the same time, Boyle was practically invisible. For just the seventh time in her career and the first time this season, the sophomore was held pointless.

Muchnick’s career day

Since filling the net with 62 tallies through its first four games, SU’s offense has mustered at most 14 goals in each of their last five contests without Olivia Adamson before facing Pitt. But against the Panthers, the unit finally ended its funk, finishing the day with 17 as four SU players notched at least three points. One such contributor was Emma Muchnick, who shot and passed her way up to two goals and one assist.

The outing was nothing new for Muchnick, as it marked the sixth time in her career she reached three points in a game. Against Loyola, she made personal history with five goals and points, both new career highs for the junior.

Just 1:26 in, Muchnick wasted no time making her presence felt by whipping home Syracuse’s first shot of the game to open the scoring. Over a minute later, Ward was given a golden opportunity to double the lead on the free-position. Instead, she opted to dish a pass to Muchnick on her right. Sprinting down the left side of the 12-meter, she doubled SU lead just three minutes in.

Muchnick closed the first quarter by completing her hat trick but still wasn’t satisfied. After leaving Cydney Lisk in the dust, Muchnick slipped the ball underneath Lauren Spence for her fourth of the game early in the second quarter.

After being held silent for nearly the next 30 minutes, Muchnick made a timely return to the scoresheet early in the final frame. Her fifth tally with 13:52 left in regulation pulled SU ahead 13-12 in crunch time, which proved to be the difference between victory and defeat.

Guyette’s 2nd-half breakdown

Daniella Guyette has never been one to dwell on the past. In her first season as a starter, she’s made it a point to look forward to the next shot after she gives up a goal, rather than let it affect her mentality. Regardless, her last outing against the Panthers was likely a tough pill to swallow.

Going just 4-for-15 on saves, Guyette was forced to stomach a season-worst .267 save percentage. In need of a bounce-back game, she earned exactly that against the Greyhounds.

Even as the offensive unit in front of her racked up 11 goals in the first half, Guyette still faced her fair share of chances in the opening two quarters. Although the Greyhounds’ top option in Boyle was often locked up by Clark in the midfield, Guyette was still heavily tested by the rest of Loyola’s deep arsenal of weapons.

However, the contest was a tale of two halves for Guyette. Finishing the first half with a strong 9-for-16 on saves, she failed to replicate her performance in the second. Four different goal scorers beat Guyette in the third quarter as the Greyhounds imposed their will in, tying the game 11-11 at one point. Her struggles carried over into the final frame, where she tacked on just one save and finished with a .478 save percentage overall, showing slight improvement compared to her two recent sub-.400 outings.

Published on March 19, 2025 at 7:48 pm
Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray