Observations from SU’s ACC Tournament loss to Stanford: 1st-quarter response, improved draw control
In its 15-10 loss to Stanford in the ACC Tournament First Round, Syracuse’s draw control unit’s 18-for-28 mark in the circle kept it within shouting distance. Courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference
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Even after losing key pieces this past offseason and experiencing injuries, nobody in SU’s locker room viewed 2025 as a transition year before game one. Statement wins against national title contenders in then-No. 6 Maryland and then-No. 6 Stanford. But disastrous losses to unranked Virginia Tech and No. 2 Boston College quickly unraveled Syracuse’s championship or bust campaign into its worst under Kayla Treanor. There weren’t a lot of positives for Syracuse to take into its ACC Tournament opener Wednesday evening in Charlotte.
With its climb to a national championship now steeper than ever, Syracuse’s last chance to salvage its season laid in the conference tournament, where Stanford was waiting for them. A second victory against the Cardinal was exactly what SU needed to get back on its feet.
That wasn’t the case Wednesday. After falling behind 4-1 early, Syracuse responded by scoring seven of the next eight tallies to close the half. From there, a 10-2 deficit over the next 30 minutes was too much for the Orange to come back from to keep their ACC title hopes alive.
Here are some observations from No. 6 seed Syracuse’s (9-8, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) 15-10 loss to No. 3 seed Stanford (14-4, 7-2 Atlantic Coast) in the ACC Tournament First Round:
SU’s 1st-quarter response
Heading into its bout with Stanford, Syracuse hadn’t held a single lead since April 5 against Cal. The main cause? Sluggish efforts in the first quarter in each of their past two games. Heavily favored against Virginia Tech, Syracuse allowed the home team to punch it in the mouth by jumping ahead 4-1 by the end of the opening frame. At home against Boston College, it looked even slower off the opening draw, and didn’t manage a single goal until the third period.
In the opening quarter against Stanford, it looks as though Syracuse still hadn’t woken up early on. After missing a free-position chance two minutes in, Stanford took control early by scoring four goals on their first four shots on Guyette. Already down 4-1 not even halfway through the frame, Syracuse refused to go quietly.
Fueled by timely turnovers caused by Carlie Desimone and Emma Muchnick, SU clawed itself out of the hole one tally at a time. From the 8:22 mark on, four different goal scorers powered a 4-0 run for SU as Stanford’s offensive possessions suddenly became nonexistent. The rally gave Syracuse a 5-4 edge through 15 minutes, one that it continued to build on before halftime.
Syracuse solves Pearson early
Faced with one of the best goalies in Division I in BC’s Shea Dolce, Syracuse got stonewalled. As its offense stumbled for the majority of the game, Dolce stopped all but two of the 14 shots on target she faced. While SU goalie Daniella Guyette allowed 17 goals at the other end, the junior enjoyed a season-high .867 save percentage. In SU’s rematch with the Cardinal, it expected Pearson to pose a similar challenge.
Instead, the Orange punished the veteran goalie from start to finish. Although she started the game strong by denying Caroline Trinkaus from in tight, she only made two more saves the rest of the game. Despite guiding her team to a 4-1 lead at one point, her struggles allowed the Orange to shift the game’s momentum back in their favor.
The Cardinal tried to support their goalie by clogging up Emma Ward at X, but it was no use. Behind its depth, Syracuse picked apart the Cardinal’s backline through long standing possessions. In close, the Orange had whatever they wanted as Pearson couldn’t seem to buy a save.
In the wake of SU’s sixth unanswered strike in the early stages of the second quarter, Stanford head coach Danielle Spencer finally gave her No. 1 goalie the hook. Pearson finished the first half with a .300 save percentage, surrendering seven goals on 10 shots.
Draw control finally steps up
There’s no denying Syracuse’s draw control unit has had its ups and downs in 2025. Since Kate Mashewske’s departure, it’s been a trying time for the circle in the Orange since its season opener. Even when it was given an easy chance to dominate against Cal — the ACC’s worst team on the draw — the group barely outperformed the Golden Bears with a 14-for-27 mark.
While the unit showed fight against one of the nation’s best teams in Boston College — scooping up 10-of-22 opportunities — the effort was still overshadowed by its 17-2 deficit on the scoreboard. If the Orange wanted to punch their ticket to the ACC Semifinals, they needed their draw control unit to find a new gear against the Cardinal.
To start its recent contests, SU’s unit has fallen into a pattern. Head coach Kayla Treanor has consistently placed Joely Caramelli on the opening draw just to replace her with Megan Rode shortly after. But against Stanford, she let Rode take the reins from the beginning, and reaped the benefits.
Rode started off slow, losing the contest’s first two draws, but improved as the night went on. With Mileena Cotter and Alexa Vogelman to support her by pouncing on the ball, she spearheaded the Orange to a 11-4 advantage on the draw by halftime.
Although Rode and Co. fizzled out in the second half, their synergy in the first 30 minutes still earned Syracuse a strong 18-for-28 mark in the circle.
Polisky punishes the Orange
When preparing for Stanford earlier this season, Syracuse defense was given a choice: focus on stopping Ava Arceri or Aliya Polisky? SU chose the latter and got burned. Although Polisky was kept in check with just one assist, Arceri was a thorn in the Orange’s side. The sophomore racked up three tallies, including the game-tying goal to force overtime.
The duo’s roles were reversed Wednesday. While Arceri was held to an uncharacteristic single assist, Polisky was everywhere at once Wednesday night. Just under seven minutes into play, she made her presence known with an assist on Rylee Bouvier’s second goal.
A 7-0 run between the first and second quarters forced the Cardinal into an 8-4 deficit, but Polisky didn’t blink. She helped shift the momentum back in Stanford’s favor moments later by capitalizing on a free position chance. Her strike jump started a 6-0 run for the Cardinal that lasted through the end of the third, which included three tallies by Polisky alone. The sophomore finished the evening with five points as the Cardinal cruised to victory.
