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No. 1 Syracuse aims to shoot as close to the crease as possible. With heavy ball movement and high efficiency, the Orange average the most assists per game (9.83) to produce the second-highest adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation (42.6%), per LacrosseReference.

Most famously, the weave was introduced when Gary Gait, now the head coach of the men’s team, took over the program. But under head coach Kayla Treanor, SU also leans on off-ball screens, timed cuts and creative finishes to find open looks in its signature motion offense.

Syracuse has scarcely trailed this season, as a pass-first mentality, play diversity and offensive depth have helped Syracuse become an offensive powerhouse. Thus, Meaghan Tyrrell hasn’t needed to be the scoring centerpiece of years past, illustrated by her 38 assists compared to 37 goals.

“What makes this group so special is that you have a superstar like Meaghan who does not care if she shows up on the stat sheet or not,” Treanor said.

Here are the main offensive concepts employed by Syracuse (13-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast) during its perfect season thus far:

X: Emma Ward’s spot

Nobody marks the X better than Emma Ward. Of her 45 assists, at least half have come from behind the net. Ward uses the crease as a sort of natural buffer, giving her room to curl around the cage or find passing lanes.

“I think (Ward) has some of the best vision, in front or behind the cage, I’ve seen in a very long time,” Meaghan said after Ward’s career-high 10 points against No. 11 Virginia.

Against Stony Brook, Ward made multiple contested assists from X, including a tie-breaking score in the second period. She spun back toward the middle of the net with defenders converging on her. Looking up, Ward slotted a pass between two outstretched sticks to find Megan Carney, who leapt up to get it and scored sidearm as SU went up 9-8.

Earlier in that game, Syracuse found itself down 4-3 early. Ward lunged forward to corral a shovel pass from Carney with one hand before continuing forward to X. Surveying the field, she found an open Emma Tyrrell and zipped the ball through two defenders as Emma scored easily.

Ward also uses X to her advantage without the ball. Against Virginia, Meaghan earned a free position near the top of the 8-meter. After taking one step in toward the goal, she saw Ward curling toward her around the opposite side of the crease. Meaghan fired to Ward, who scored at the cage.

The weave under Treanor

Conceptually, the weave is based on a popular basketball exercise. Players run perpendicular to each other across the perimeter, either pitching back to teammates or faking to draw the defense in. Players without the ball either cut toward the cage or keep running to open up space. Attackers positioned down low try to find open space or set off-ball screens.

Carney converted on the first weave attempt against Duke. Natalie Smith passed it back to Carney running right, who sped up and fought through contact to bounce a sidearm shot off the turf and into the net for SU’s second goal in a 16-10 win.

Against the Cavaliers, Sierra Cockerille, who frequently heads the weave, utilized the fakes to perfection. Jogging right, she faked two pitches, her side facing the goal, before clearing the top of the 8-meter. She found Meaghan cutting around the crease on the left as she netted it high off her back foot to help the Orange take a four-goal lead.

Gait originally created the weave when he was head coach to help highlight Emily Hawryschuk, who graduated as SU’s all-time leading scorer.

“I’ll be honest, I created it (the weave) to help (Hawryschuk) out as a player,” Gait said two years ago. “I put my thinking hat on and tried to come up with some motion.”

Transition ball movement

Syracuse’s fast-paced transition attack has allowed atypical goal scorers, including draw-control specialists and defenders, to have opportunities at the crease. Delaney Sweitzer also initiates fast breaks off of saves with deep passes.

With SU leading 5-1 in the first quarter, Emma controlled the draw outside the circle and immediately passed upfield to Katie Goodale, who was positioned nearby. Goodale swung to Tessa Queri on the left, who then passed to Ward near the crease.

That’s when Goodale came sprinting down the middle and Ward made the easy feed. Goodale’s finish — her first career goal in 45 games at SU — gave the Orange a five-goal lead near the end of the opening period.

Earlier this season against Pittsburgh, Kate Mashewske scored her second career goal off the draw. After going up 1-0 in under a minute, Mashewske won the draw to take back possession, passed up field and beelined toward goal. Up ahead, Meaghan received a pass at X and saw Mashewske sprinting, so she lofted the ball up. Mashewske caught it and swiped down hard with her stick, making it 2-0 Syracuse.

These two goals exhibit the efficiency of SU’s transition offense. When its main scorers are at the helm, the points come even easier.

Syracuse passes the ball seamlessly in transition, but strangely, Sweitzer is one of SU’s best transition tools. After saving a shot, Sweitzer’s vision off and ability to toss the ball more than half the length of the field has given the Orange countless fast break opportunities, while resulting in very few turnovers.

Against Louisville, Sweitzer launched a high-arching ball to Natalie Smith a minute-and-a-half into the game. Smith cradled it close to midfield before advancing to Maddy Baxter near midfield, who sped straight into the 12-meter arc. Meaghan had evaded her defender next to the crease, so Baxter passed to her, and with two quick steps, Meaghan positioned herself directly in front of the cage for an easy goal.

Creative at the crease

Syracuse has a plethora of strong finishers, but Emma has frequented unique shot attempts on her 34 goals this season.

With just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, Meaghan backed up a step on the inside of the zone, waiting for Emma to clear her defender from the opposite side before passing. Crossing from left to right, Emma caught the pass high and then whipped it behind her own head as well as the head of her trailing defender, Annie Parker. It whizzed past, about an inch from Parker’s ear, and goalie McKenzie Clark had no idea where the ball had come from when it was already in the back of the net.

Against Stony Brook, the Tyrrell’s connected on another spectacular finish. From the bottom right corner of the fan, Meaghan drove toward the goal at a 90-degree angle, her eyes scanning the middle.

Above her head, she moved her stick back and forth before firing to Emma, who turned counterclockwise for a backhanded scoop shot. She flipped her grip on the stick during the turn and shoveled it in for SU’s first score of the game.

Meaghan said that Emma likes to work on different and difficult shot angles in practice. But Meaghan also holds an assortment of strong, unorthodox finishes this season.

Against Cornell, Meaghan wanted one last goal before Treanor brought in the second unit. Under a minute remained in the third quarter when Meaghan got the ball in transition and two defenders separated her and the cage.

Meaghan caught the pass from Baxter in stride and then, almost like a defensive end rushing the passer, she dipped under Annie Thomas’ outstretched stick to turn the corner. Directly in front of goalie Ellie Horner, Meaghan stumbled through the contact but still kept her stick high enough to shoot above Horner’s head. The goal gave SU a 17-6 lead and moved Meaghan into fourth on SU’s all-time scorers list.

Published on April 2, 2023 at 11:36 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu