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Emma Ward cut left then pivoted to her right. The double-move lost Nina Garfinkel.

Ward continued her off-ball run straight toward goal. Meanwhile, Emma Tyrrell dodged past her immediate defender at X and made her way into the 8-meter. Emma swung a pass forward, one that looked a little too far for Ward to latch onto.

But, Ward extended her stick, caught the ball, and slotted a shot into the back of the Virginia net, past Ashley Vernon. Her score gave Syracuse a slim 5-4 lead after a back-and-forth opening quarter with just one second left in the period.

“Emma picked it up, made a great feed and just finishing inside gave us good momentum heading into the second quarter,” Ward said.

That same momentum opened the offensive floodgates for SU as the Orange went on to outscore UVA 7-2 in the period. Ward was responsible for a goal and an assist, just two contributions out of a career-best 10 points on the night.

All season long Ward has been successful in her role as a primary facilitator, assisting teammates from X and in-around goal. She currently has 45 assists on the season compared to 22 goals. But tonight, against No. 11 Virginia (8-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast), Ward was a more active scorer, attacking the cage and notching four goals along with six assists in No. 1 Syracuse’s (13-0, 6-0 ACC) 21-9 win.

“I was doing a little more shooting than passing at first so just being able to be a dual-threat,” Ward said. “I’ve done a lot of assisting this season so just being able to come out and show that I’m able to put the ball in the back of the net was nice.”

Nearing the end of the opening half, Ward secured her hat trick. Advancing near the left side of the 8-meter, she suddenly switched gears and made a beeline for goal. Garfinkel was able to use her stick to move Ward away from making further forward progress but it didn’t matter. Running to her right, Ward unleashed a shot that zipped toward the top left corner. Vernon quickly adjusted her stick to cover the open space in hopes of parrying, but couldn’t get there in time.

Just like Ward’s conversion inside 10 minutes, her goal with 1:55 remaining before halftime provided a three score cushion, and finally some breathing room, for the Orange.

From there, Virginia couldn’t do anything to stop a free flowing SU offense. And, when the Cavalier defenders did put up a wall circling the 12-meter arc, Syracuse would bide its time, swinging the ball from one side of the field to the other, hoping to catch the opponent in a lapse of concentration. Oftentimes, UVA would be cut open by the same move.

Positioned on the right wing, Meaghan Tyrrell would draw attention before passing to Ward at X. Then, like she has so many times this season, Ward would lose her defender behind the cage, creating a gaping hole in and around the crease for teammates to converge on for easy one-on-one opportunities.

Closely guarded by Maggie Bostain, Ward accelerated down the right side of the field. Running out of real estate, she flung a high-arching pass into the middle where Meaghan stood. With only Garfinkel in front of her, Meaghan leapt up in the air, snatched the inch-perfect assist and powered a shot past Abby Jansen to give Syracuse a 16-7 lead toward the latter stages of the third.

“I think (Emma) has one of the best visions in front or behind the cage that I’ve seen in a very long time, so she makes cutting through the ‘8’ work with her so easy,” Meaghan said.

Almost exactly a minute later, Ward set up Emma for a simple goal from point-blank range as SU picked up its first double digit advantage, which started the running clock.

“Going into the second half they started to run a little zone so just picking up where we left off and just finding those looks and people on the inside finishing,” Ward said.

At one point, ranging from the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth, Ward strung together four straight assists to help Syracuse to a 19-7 lead. Meaghan found Ward at X and immediately Ward dropped down into an athletic stance, shuffling her feet and looking for runs toward the net. Both Tyrrell’s were smothered but Megan Carney had made herself available.

Ward sent a darting pass to Carney, who caught and shot the ball in one fluid motion. Three Virginia defenders raised their sticks in anticipation, but the move was too quick. The net bulged and Carney pumped her first in celebration. For Ward, it was point number 10.

“I wouldn’t have assists unless they finish so it’s great that we’re able to be on the same page and find each other,” Ward said.

Published on April 1, 2023 at 11:23 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff