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In a defensive battle against No. 7-seed Virginia Tech, No. 2-seed Syracuse defeated the Hokies, 9-4. The Orange were unable to find offensive success, finishing with their second-worst offensive performance of the season.

Six Syracuse players scored in the game, with Sierra Cockerille and Meaghan Tyrrell each finishing with four points. Syracuse struggled at the free position, not converting on any of its 11 opportunities.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s 9-4 win over Virginia Tech:

Spreading the wealth

In the first half against Virginia Tech, the Orange had five different goal scorers for five goals. The reason for Syracuse’s success was its ability to get multiple cutters flooding through the 8-meter, confusing Virginia Tech’s “chaser zone” defense.

Halfway through the first period, the Orange made their second score off a cutting Emma Tyrrell. Meaghan Tyrrell drew Virginia Tech’s defense toward her before rifling a pass to Emma Tyrrell, who came darting across the crease. Three minutes later, Syracuse repeated the same exact play as Meaghan Tyrrell brought the ball up to the offensive zone and shifted the Hokies’ attention. She found Emma Ward this time to extend the Orange’s lead to 3-1.

The Orange maintained their steady offensive strategy and found success in the second half. Cockerille took over Meaghan Tyrrell’s position as a facilitator, assisting the Orange’s first three goals in the second half. By the end of the evening, the Orange had seven of their nine goals off assists.

Defending behind the net

Every time Virginia Tech would make its way into the offensive zone, it would move the ball behind the net. This positioning forced the Orange’s defense to flip their bodies, sometimes opening holes in the zone.

No. 1 North Carolina used this strategy in its 17-6 win over Syracuse on April 3. The Hokies seem to be the only other team to realize that this was a weakness for the Orange, attacking early from behind.

For the Hokies’ first goal, they set up behind the net on the left side, waiting for an open cutter to find space in the 8-meter. Paige Tyson found an opening and scored to tie the game at 1-1. But the Orange quickly fixed their flaws by having a single defender on the left or right side of the field to focus on the players behind the net.

After 26 scoreless minutes, the Hokies were able to find success again. Virginia Tech passed the ball around the left side before finding Paige Petty at the top of the 8-meter. After one dodge, Petty, the sixth-best goal scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference, found the back of the net in the second half. Virginia Tech found the net twice more off similar plays.

But Virginia Tech was only able to find success with that play, finishing with nine shots on goal over 60 minutes. Still, this is something that the Orange need to find a solution for. Later on in the ACC Tournament against high-powered offenses like Boston College or North Carolina, SU needs to defend every inch of its half.

Creativity at the free position

Despite having seven free position opportunities in the first half, the Orange were unable to convert on any of them.

Throughout last season, Syracuse confused the opposing defense with unpredictable passes on the free position. But, this season, the Orange have used little creativity at the top of the 8-meter, charging the cage on most attempts.

In the first half against the Hokies, Emily Ehle drew a shooting space violation and received a chance at the free position. She charged the cage and fired a shot that went low and wide. Ward picked up Ehle’s attempt and earned another free position opportunity. But she did the same thing as Ehle, and Virginia Tech goalie Angie Benson made the save.

Published on April 28, 2021 at 8:25 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu