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Syracuse entered its game at No. 13 Yale on Wednesday riding its biggest high all season. It held a four-game winning streak with three of those victories coming against ranked teams. But the Orange’s momentum was halted by the Bulldogs.

SU was off-kilter from the get-go. Even though it entered the second quarter tied 4-4, Yale outshot Syracuse 12-5 in the frame. The Bulldogs only kept pushing, holding the Orange off the board for 18 minutes en route to handing them a 13-10 loss.

Struggles on the draw came back to haunt Syracuse. It shuffled between Joely Caramelli, Meghan Rode and Molly Guzik in the circle but nothing worked. Yale won the battle 19-7, allowing Fallon Vaughn to pour in a game-high five goals.

With only three regular-season games left, SU needed to get back on track quickly, especially with a showdown with No. 1 Boston College on the horizon. Facing California Saturday, it did that and more. Syracuse was in control for much of the contest, as three players scored three or more goals to power it to a decisive victory.

Here are some observations from No. 6 Syracuse’s (9-5, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) 18-6 win over Cal (5-8, 0-7 Atlantic Coast) Saturday:

Offensive Barrage

With its tough schedule, Syracuse hasn’t had much of a chance to notch comfortable wins lately, beating then-No. 17 Loyola, then-No. 21 Notre Dame and then-No. 11 Virginia by a combined four goals. But Cal, which allows an ACC-worst 12.5 goals per game, presented a chance to dominate from the opening whistle.

SU did just that. Despite conceding a goal just 50 seconds in, Caroline Trinkaus evened the score right away on a free position shot. Then, toward the end of the quarter, Syracuse ignited for five of the next six goals to go into the second quarter up 6-2, aided by two goals each from Emma Muchnick and Trinkaus.

While Cal broke through with two early scores in the second, Syracuse responded immediately. Headlined by Trinkaus notching a hat trick, SU rattled off three goals in a row to head into the break up 9-5.

Nothing changed in the second half. Syracuse blitzed the Golden Bears for six goals to begin the third. Emma Ward continued to run Syracuse’s offense, notching her third and fourth assists of the game by setting up Alexa Vogelman and Gracie Britton’s third goals to make it 15-5 entering the final quarter. The Orange rested much of their backups in the final frame but still racked up 18 goals in the contest — their most since matching that total against Cornell on Feb. 18.

Cleaning Up Fouls

On Wednesday against Yale, Syracuse was as sloppy as can be. It committed 26 fouls, which led to five free position goals — essentially the game’s difference in the three-goal loss. But Cal was a much less imposing team, entering Saturday with a 25.2% offensive efficiency, outside the top-100 nationally, per Lacrosse Reference.

Because of that, Syracuse efficiently cleaned up its mistakes versus the Golden Bears. Courtney Wong was handed a free position on a shooting space penalty five minutes in, but after a pass to the top of the key, Cal’s shot flew wide. But that was one of just two free position attempts and five fouls in the quarter, as the Orange’s discipline led to a four-goal lead heading into the second.

A foul early in the second came back to bite Syracuse, leading to Cal’s leading scorer Emily Moes goal. But from there, the Orange locked back in and only committed four more in the quarter. In contrast to SU’s 10, the Golden Bears committed 13 by halftime, propelling Syracuse to a 9-5 advantage.

While Syracuse committed four early fouls in the third, it bounced back quickly with no more in the frame. Cal couldn’t capitalize on the initial mistakes, and SU made it pay. The Golden Bears didn’t score for the entire third quarter, allowing the Orange to all but put away the game before the fourth. They finished with 20 fouls, an improvement from Wednesday.

Ward piles on assists

Emma Ward has undoubtedly been Syracuse’s best player this season. She’s shown she can score from anywhere on the field. But more impressively, she’s efficiently orchestrated SU’s offense by dishing out assists.

On Saturday, she continued that production. While she scored just two goals, Ward helped Trinkaus, Britton and Vogelman notch hat tricks via her distribution. She started by assisting to Britton, who finished for her first goal of the game. Then, just over a minute later, she found Vogelman, who made it 9-4 with a finish inside.

Midway through the third, Ward combined with the pair again. First, it was Vogelman who benefited as she set a new career high with her third goal of the game. Then, Ward’s pass to Britton also resulted in a score, as the junior converted while falling to her left. She added on one more assist for good measure, dishing to Mackenzie Rich for her first goal of the season midway through the fourth.

Ward didn’t wow in the goal-scoring department Saturday. But she was still all over the field, helping power SU to its comfortable win with a season-high five assists.

Trinkaus comes up trumps

Syracuse’s offense has been very widespread this season. Entering Saturday, nine players had double-digit goals, with no player over 26. But against Cal, one of its top options this season — freshman Caroline Trinkaus — shined brightest.

Trinkaus has majorly stepped up in the loss of attack Olivia Adamson, starring alongside Emma Ward to lead the Orange’s offense.

Trinkaus scored SU’s first goal on her free-position shot. She tacked on once again to cap Syracuse’s 5-0 run, with two of the five goals coming from the standout freshman. Though she was quiet until midway through the second, which allowed Cal to momentarily crawl back in the game, Trinkaus kept the Golden Bears at bay with her third goal of the game off of Britton’s nifty pass.

Despite some sloppy play to open the third, Trinkaus broke the ice again. She received a pass outside the 8-meter fan, split through two defenders and snuck a shot past Callan Fritsch to make it 11-5 and tie her career high with four goals.

Published on April 5, 2025 at 8:27 pm
Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99