Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse opens up the 2023 campaign against Northwestern at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. Last year, the two teams met twice with the Wildcats winning in both outings.

In March of 2022, then-No. 6 Northwestern outlasted the Orange in a 16-15 overtime thriller. Lauren Gilbert led NU with seven goals while Emily Hawryschuk, SU’s all-time leading goal-scorer, led Syracuse with six.

Then, almost two-and-a-half months later, the Wildcats dominated, this time winning 15-4 to knock the Orange out of the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. An injury-ridden Syracuse team was without Sierra Cockerille or Emma Tyrrell and had little to no answer for Gilbert’s game-high four goals.

Here is everything you need to know before Syracuse hosts No. 4 Northwestern on Saturday:

All-time series

Northwestern leads 16-7.

Last time they played

In front of a home crowd in Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern defeated Syracuse 15-4 in the NCAA quarterfinals, ending SU’s 2022 season. It was the second time the Wildcats beat the Orange in head coach Kayla Treanor’s first year in charge.

Although Meaghan Tyrrell netted first to give SU an early one-goal lead, and secured the 200th goal of her career in the process, Northwestern scored four straight to take a three-goal advantage. Freshman Olivia Adamson tallied one goal as the only other Syracuse scorer, but by halftime, NU was up 9-2 and never looked back. The Wildcats outscored the Orange 6-2 in the second half to stamp their place in the Final Four while Meaghan finished with a team-high three goals.

The Wildcat report

After its comfortable win over Syracuse, Northwestern set up a showdown with then No.1-seeded North Carolina. The Tar Heels trounced the Wildcats earlier in the year, 20-9, but this time around, the two teams were neck and neck throughout the contest.

NU jumped out to an impressive 6-0 start after the first quarter and held on for the next two before UNC completely flipped the script. North Carolina outscored the Wildcats 9-1 in the final period to advance to the championship.

This season, Northwestern will be without Gilbert, midfielders Jill Girardi and Brennan Dwyer and defender Ally Palermo, who all graduated.

Izzy Scane returns for her graduate season after an ACL injury sidelined her for the entirety of the 2022 season. She’s joined in attack by Erin Coykendall, who finished third in goals and led Northwestern in assists last year. In defense, Allie Berkery ranked second on the team with 19 caused turnovers and will take over for Palermo this year as the anchor in the Wildcat defense.

NU boasts a loaded freshman class, including three Under Armour All-Americans and two transfers. Although the Wildcats lost a strong veteran core entering this season, Scane will be expected, and capable, of leading a talented squad into the Dome.

How Syracuse beats Northwestern

After letting in a combined 31 goals in two games against Northwestern last year, success for Syracuse in its home opener will have to start with its defense. In 2022, the Orange recorded a 34.8% save percentage — placing 111th in the country — behind inconsistent goalie play.

Halfway through last season, the goalkeeper battle between Kimber Hower and Delaney Sweitzer was taken by Hower. Against the Wildcats on day one, Hower will need to step up.

NU’s attack will be hurt by the departure of Gilbert and the attacking-minded Girardi but Scane and Coykendall can cause similar distress for the Syracuse defense. Katie Goodale will have her hands full but should stand strong with the help of fellow returners Hallie Simkins and Bianca Chevarie.

If SU can stop Northwestern defensively, it should have no problem generating offense. Boasting both Meaghan and Emma, plus the return of Emma Ward, who terrorized the Wildcat defense in the 2021 Final Four her freshman year, the Orange face a daunting but manageable task on Saturday.

Stat to know: 35

Last season, Northwestern produced an average of 35 shots per game, third highest in the country. Not only did the Wildcats slot home a plethora of goals into the Syracuse net in its two meetings, but they also tallied 41 shots on target. The Wildcats lost two of its top-three goal-scorers from a season ago — Girardi and Gilbert — that combined for 131 goals.

Player to watch: Izzy Scane, attack, No. 27

The former Tewaaraton Award Finalist is finally back after missing all of the 2022 season to a torn ACL. Now in her final year of eligibility, Scane will be trying to recapture her form in 2021 — her career year — where she was named the Big Ten Attacker of the Year, reaped Big Ten Tournament MVP honors and holds the NCAA’s all-time record by averaging a whopping 6.13 goals per game.

Scane serves as a prolific goal-scorer, and also holds the Northwestern program record for single-game scoring with a career-high 10 goals against Rutgers two seasons ago.

Published on February 8, 2023 at 11:38 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff