Second Half Surge Lifts Syracuse over Harvard

By Nicole Weaving
Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter

Sparks, M.D. – Syracuse opened its matchup against Harvard dominantly. The offense scored two goals for each goal netted by Harvard to start. Five different players scored in the six-goal span.

Scoring then slowed as the Orange struggled to win the draw. SU rotated between a three-goal and two-goal lead. They relied on Emily Hawryschuk to come in clutch towards the end of the first half.

“She is a great goal scorer. She puts the ball in the back of net,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said. “She has a tremendous shot. I think she did a great job again today.”

Hawryschuk (5-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) led the Orange to a 20-13 victory over Harvard (3-3, 0-1 Ivy) this Friday afternoon at Tierney Field at the US Lacrosse Headquarters.

After a tight first half, the SU offense really shined in the second frame. Syracuse’s 7-2 run in the first 15 minutes carried the team to victory.

Hawryschuk spurred the run. Rather than pulling up near the left elbow on a wide open shot, the sophomore threaded the Crimson defense, weaving in and out between four defenders before pulling off a spin move and sneaking a goal past Harvard goalie Olivia Gundrum.

Hawryschuk ended the day with three goals, her fourth hat trick of the season.

This sparked a six-goal run by the Orange. Sam Swart and Kelzi Van Atta each netted their third goals of the game while Riley Donahue found the back of the net twice.

This was the first game since Connecticut that Van Atta had scored. Swart now has 17 goals on the season, 13 coming in the last four contests.

Where Donahue led Syracuse in points and goals last season, she falls third and fourth in each category this year. Nevertheless, her experience as a senior is always valued.

“We needed some goals today and need to make some plays. She stepped up and did that,” Gait said. “She is a veteran captain who is going to make plays when we need them.”

Nicole Levy also completed her third hat trick of the season today, capped off by an absolute rip from 8-meters out. Through Syracuse’s motion offense, players look to Levy to create action behind the cage.

“When you are playing behind, that is kind of where the quarterback sits,” Levy said. “You can see the whole field from there.”

Eleven different SU players scored on Friday and it all goes back to what Nicole Levy said the first game, “Teams with more offensive threats are harder to scout.”

The Orange will head back to Upstate New York to take on Cornell on Tuesday.

@nicki_weaves | nlweavin@syr.edu