No. 6 Syracuse’s 4-game win streak snapped in 13-10 loss to No. 13 Yale
No. 6 Syracuse’s four-game winning streak was snapped in its 13-10 road loss to No. 13 Yale. It marks SU's first loss since March 10. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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Following a 3-0 start, Syracuse struggled to fill the hole Olivia Adamson’s season-ending injury punched in its lineup. As it scrambled to adjust, SU dropped four of its next five matchups and even fell to No. 10 in the country. The ranking marked the Orange’s lowest under head coach Kayla Treanor and worst since 2019.
Yet, guided by its new faces and veteran talent, SU turned its season around via a four-game winning streak. And against Yale Wednesday, extending it to five seemed within reach.
But a rude awakening hit No. 6 Syracuse (8-5, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) against No. 13 Yale (8-3, 1-2 Ivy) Wednesday in a 13-10 loss. Despite Ashlee Volpe’s four-goal game, SU’s attack couldn’t match Yale’s trio of Jenna Collignon, Fallon Vaughn and Taylor Lane, who combined for 13 points. The contest marked the third game this season the Orange never held a lead.
Despite having momentum going into the matchup, the Orange were dominated in the opening five minutes.
After splitting draw control duties with Meghan Rode last time out, Joely Caramelli took the opening draw for SU against Collignon. Collignon, a proven scorer and draw specialist, picked her pocket and fed a pass to Lane, jumpstarting Yale’s first possession.
The Bulldogs have tortured teams this season through long possessions, boasting a 58% time-of-possession mark that ranks second in the nation. Using this tactic, Yale cruised early on, building a 2-0 lead. The tallies came just 52 seconds apart.
“Our attackers really felt an urgency to get to the cage,” Yale head coach Erica Bamford said postgame. “We focused on getting to the cage hard and attacking whatever (Syracuse) threw at us.”
Coming up short on three of her first four draws, Treanor pulled Caramelli out of the circle in exchange for Rode. Now trailing 3-1, the replacement gave Syracuse’s attack a much-needed lift.
With help from Kaci Benoit, Rode guided the Orange to win 3-of-5 draws to close the quarter. Assisted by a series of misses and shots off the post from Yale, Syracuse finally found its footing. Quarterbacked by Emma Ward from X, Molly Guzik found twine and moments later, Mileena Cotter struck via a free-position to momentarily tie the game.
On the other side of the field, the Orange prioritized face-guarding Collignon from the opening draw. In her usual role, SU defender Superia Clark kept tabs on her by hovering around her constantly at midfield. But even with Collignon neutralized, her supporting cast of Vaughn and Lane made up for her absence.
Already notching two goals each in the first quarter, Vaughn and Lane continued to set the pace. Tied 5-5, the duo scored three consecutive goals to complete each of their hat tricks. Across the final eight minutes of the half, Syracuse’s offense became lifeless. Including Volpe’s tally, the Orange only managed four shots on target in the second quarter as possession of the ball was at a premium.
“We do a lot of five-on-five drills at practice anyway, so (without Collignon), we just essentially played the drills that we’ve been running for years,” Bamford said.
SU’s draw control unit didn’t do it any favors, either. Despite showing promise in the first quarter, Rode dropped all five draws she took in the second. The one bright spot for the Orange in the first half was goalie Daniella Guyette. Her six stops gave SU a chance to respond in the game’s latter half, trailing 7-5 at the break.
Guyette was good, but Yale’s Niamh Pfaff was even better. Relieving Cami Donadio to start the second quarter, who allowed four goals on five shots on net, Pfaff dominated. Holding Syracuse to just one tally in the second quarter, she capped off her strong start to the day by robbing Emma Muchnick on a free-position shot in the final seconds. Pfaff went on to finish with eight saves on 14 shots.
“(The goalie switch) had nothing to do with how Donadio played. It was just about giving Syracuse’s high-percentage shooters different looks,” Bamford said.
Despite their reputation for maintaining possession better than any team in the nation, the Bulldogs coughed up the ball 13 times, eight of which came in the second half. This gave the Orange a comeback opportunity.
Rattling off five shots on target to Yale’s two in the third, SU trailed by just one heading into the final frame. All it needed were a few more solid offensive possessions to snatch its first lead of the day. But they never came.
As much as their offense came to life, the Orange’s draw control unit continued to wilt down the final stretch. Hindered by its 2-for-9 mark on fourth-quarter draws, Syracuse’s attack hit a lull once again. The Bulldogs used their lengthy possessions to slowly wear down their opponent, creating open shooting lanes in front of Guyette.
With more room to shoot, Collignon finally shook loose for the Bulldogs after being held silent for 45 minutes. Without Clark in her face, she managed to beat Guyette with a filthy move less than a minute in. Seconds later, she punished Syracuse again on the free-position and went on to complete the hat trick.
Collignon not only canceled out Volpe’s three-goal burst in the final frame but also sealed Syracuse’s first loss since March 10.
Throughout its recent string of victories, Syracuse has developed a habit of building a significant lead and nearly collapsing down the stretch. But against Yale, it was never even given the chance to do so.
“Obviously, Syracuse has a really great offense. Anyone can score on that team,” Bamford said. “We had a tall task ahead of us, and I’m really proud of how our defense played today.”
