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Jubilation. Pure ecstasy. That’s how Syracuse felt Friday after its double-overtime win over then-No. 6 Stanford.
Players ran from one end of the field to the other. They jumped up and down. But those feelings wouldn’t last long. SU had another battle on the horizon, this time against Johns Hopkins on Monday.
JHU completely reversed the roles. This time, it was No. 6 Syracuse (4-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) falling 14-13 in overtime to No. 7 Johns Hopkins (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten). Despite SU not trailing for the first 58 minutes, head coach Kayla Treanor said nobody could make a play to extend its lead. Instead, MK Lescault’s game-winner on the first possession of overtime killed any momentum Syracuse built from defeating the Cardinal.
“I think we had confidence when it went to overtime, and we were playing defense, but unfortunately, they made a great play and we weren’t able to get a stop,” Treanor said. “It really comes down to throughout the game, just making plays.”
After Syracuse defeated Stanford, Treanor pointed to Monday’s game as another important contest. The matchup marked the last of five straight ranked contests for SU. But in that stretch, the Orange have faltered, now dropping 4-of-5 contests and falling to .500 on the year.
A win over the Blue Jays at least would’ve quelled SU’s recent woes after losing three straight to No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Northwestern and then-No. 12 Clemson. And though it looked like that would happen early, it dug itself a deeper hole instead.
With 12 seconds left in regulation, Syracuse was given a sliver of hope after Emma Muchnick buried a free position to send the game to overtime. But that feeling was short-lived.
JHU’s Laurel Gonzalez — who bounced back from a 7-2 deficit on the draw to produce nine wins in the game — helped corral the opening draw in overtime. The Blue Jays’ offense went to work. They passed the ball around the 8-meter circle, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike.
With 33 seconds on the shot clock, they found it. But it wasn’t through JHU’s usual offensive contributors. Its leading scorers Ashley Mackin and Ava Angello combined for 10 goals in regulation, so Syracuse’s defenders were draped all over them. Instead, Lescault received the ball on the left of the circle, guarded by Coco Vandiver.
Lescault drove to her left and gained a step on Vandiver. Despite a narrow angle in front of SU goalie Daniella Guyette, she fired a shot over her right shoulder for the win. While Johns Hopkins celebrated, Syracuse was left crushed again.
Even though Lescault’s game-winner iced the game for the Blue Jays, it took a fourth-quarter comeback just to get to overtime.
Though JHU was kept scoreless for the first quarter’s opening six minutes, it was only a matter of time before it broke through. In the game, Syracuse committed 20 fouls. But it hadn’t been an issue yet, as SU stopped numerous player-up chances to that point.
But it finally came back to bite the Orange late. Mackin converted two goals on a player-up and free position chance to tie the game for the first time. From there, Johns Hopkins took its first lead of the game and sealed its win in overtime.
“I want our team to play aggressive, but we have to be disciplined,” Treanor said about the costly penalties. “There was a point in the third quarter where I felt like we’ve only played (player-down) defense and (player-down) offense. You’re not going to win a game like that.”
Despite the end result, the Orange dominated the first quarter, mirroring their matchup with Stanford. Then, SU built a 4-1 first-quarter lead. Early on Monday, it was all Orange again, as they led 6-2 after one.
But the question was: could SU keep going? The answer was no. Despite its victory over Stanford, a 6-0 run closed the gap. The same happened Monday. With Johns Hopkins’ defense stalling SU’s attack, the high-powered duo of Mackin and Angello heated up.
In the Orange’s last two games, they successfully stopped their opponents’ top threats. Syracuse held Clemson’s Kayla MacLeod and Stanford’s Aliya Polisky to two combined points via Superia Clark’s face-guarding.
But SU couldn’t quash JHU’s threats Monday. Playing second fiddle to Mackin this season, Angello was the dominant force Monday. She scored three straight free positions — half of her game-high six — to propel a 5-1 second-quarter run and enter halftime down 8-6.
“We got off to such a great start, and then we could never really come back with that same offensive flow,” Treanor said. “It’s a tale of two quarters, and we have to be more consistent to win some of these games.”
Syracuse knew the ball would go to Mackin or Angello. With no other JHU player entering the game with over 10 goals, it fed the two constantly. And with Syracuse defenders Lexi Reber and Vandiver both suffering injuries, SU couldn’t stop the duo. Angello converted two highlight reel goals to make it 9-8.
Everything fell apart for SU in the second half. A once-pristine draw control unit with Joely Caramelli starting for the second straight game faltered. Syracuse trailed 12-9 in draws in the final three quarters.
And when they did have the ball, the Orange couldn’t separate from their opponent. Syracuse still led by one entering the fourth, allowing the Blue Jays to claim the victory.
SU had the game in its grasp. But it gave the win away down the stretch. After snapping its three-game losing streak Friday, this was a chance to turn its season around. But the loss puts it right back to square one.
“I think we’re doing some of the right things, but we want to come out on the other side of these games,” Treanor said.
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