7-goal 2nd quarter propels Syracuse past Brown in NCAA Tournament win
Syracuse’s seven-goal explosion in the second quarter proved to be the difference in its NCAA Tournament First Round victory over Brown. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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The second quarter has been a two-sided coin for Syracuse in 2025. There are some games where its performance in the period has completely turned a contest in its favor, such as its battle against Pitt on March 15. Out of an hour-long rain delay, SU took over the contest behind a 6-1 second quarter en route to a decisive conference win.
Other times, however, the frame has nearly cost the Orange by fueling an opponent’s comeback. This was the case in its midseason bout with then-No. 21 Notre Dame. Syracuse led 4-1 at the start of the second, but the Fighting Irish embarked on a 4-0 run and temporarily sapped all momentum. Despite the lackluster span, SU still managed to come out on the winning side of a 12-11 thriller.
But in its matchup with Brown (10-7, 4-3 Ivy League) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the 2nd-quarter coin flipped in Syracuse’s (10-8, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) favor. The Orange outscored the Bears 7-3 in the 15-minute span, creating a deficit Brown never recovered from. Seven different Syracuse players found the back of the net, racking up its most goals in a single quarter since the season opener against UAlbany.
For one of the first times this season, Syracuse’s dominance was largely a product of its draw control success. After alternating between Meghan Rode and Joely Caramelli for much of the campaign, SU head coach Kayla Treanor decided to give Rode the keys to the unit. The decision paid off Friday.
Following a subpar start to the contest in the circle, Rode found a new gear in the second. She led the Orange to an 8-for-11 mark in the period, allowing SU to establish long-standing possessions and consistently pepper Brown goalie Claire Mahoney with 10 shots on target during the stretch. Without much time to possess the ball, the Bears mustered just three shots on Daniella Guyette in the final 15 minutes before halftime.
“I thought our second quarter was the best quarter of the game for us,” SU head coach Kayla Treanor said. “We were really aggressive, but you can play that way with that confidence when you have possession a lot.”
It took Syracuse 19 seconds to pot the frame’s first goal. Following an Emma Muchnick draw control, Caroline Trinkaus curled around the 8-meter line and beat Mahoney with a bouncing shot. The tally marked her first of two points on the day.
Away from the draw control, Syracuse’s second quarter supremacy was heavily fueled by its young stars.
Izzy Lahah broke out in just her fifth appearance of the season and first career start. After a Brown draw control early in the frame, Lahah pickpocketed top scorer Greta Criqui as she entered the SU zone. On the ensuing possession, Ashlee Volpe and Emma Ward combined to grow SU’s advantage to 6-3.
But the sophomore didn’t stop there. By the game’s end, Lahah accounted for three ground balls and three caused turnovers, making her case as a consistent starter for the remainder of Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament run.
Other underclassmen similarly stepped up for the Orange as they looked to put the contest out of reach by the half.
Seconds after Brown’s first tally in over seven minutes, Mileena Cotter silenced its sideline by beating midfielder Beth Anderson in a one-on-one and scoring from inside the 8-meter line. Just past the seven minute mark, Bri Peters fired home her first career-goal off a pretty feed from Emma Ward. Fellow freshman Annie Parker tacked on her sixth tally of the season before defender Sam Devito added insult to injury with one of her own from distance. It helped SU to an 11-6 advantage.
“It’s my coaching philosophy that if you practice hard and you earn it, you get an opportunity to play,” Treanor said. “Whether you’re on the bench, you’re playing two minutes or 20, you just have to give your best effort.”
While Syracuse continued to fill the net, Brown’s chances at the other end dwindled. Hindered by SU’s aggressive defensive pressure, the Bears fell into five turnovers in the second quarter alone. Its three goals in the period were mostly a result of Guyette’s struggles in net, as she finished the day with a career-worst .182 save percentage despite picking up the victory.
During its 16-day hiatus prior to its first-round matchup, Syracuse made a point to focus on improving its shot placement. It showed against Brown on Friday. Of the Orange’s 11 shot attempts in the second quarter, only one of them was off target. As SU continued to pad its lead, it remained just as accurate down the stretch. Finding the target on 20 of its 30 total shots, the Orange finished the day with one of their highest shooting percentages of the season at .500.
As Syracuse has learned on multiple occasions this season, one quarter has the potential to be the difference between victory and defeat. But if it wants to hoist its first national title, it will need to dominate its opponent for more than just 15 minutes per game.
“All week (hitting the net) was kind of the thing we focused on. If we have a chance to score, we’re burying the goal. I think today it was like every possession mattered,” Muchnick said.
