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No. 2 Syracuse faced off against No. 4 Notre Dame for the second time this week. The Orange offense started slow, not scoring until the eighth minute of the game, but a 8-0 second half run propelled Syracuse to a 15-12 win.

Despite letting in 12 goals, Asa Goldstock tied a career high 11 saves on 23 shots on goal. The Orange outshot the Irish 29-23 to sweep Notre Dame in the Carrier Dome and claim their fifth top-10 victory of the season.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s 15-12 win over Notre Dame:

A game of goalies

Notre Dame opened the game gaining possession off a Syracuse turnover. The Fighting Irish took the ball behind the net, passed to an attack waiting on the right side crease and fired a wraparound shot attempt that was denied by Goldstock on the inside.

Goldstock’s momentum was quickly silenced by an early Notre Dame free position goal that went past Goldstock’s head on her non-stick side. The Irish exploited Goldstock’s non-stick side, scoring 4 out of its 7 first half goals on the inside. The pipe also proved trouble for Goldstock, who let in two goals after the ball ricocheted off the post.

On the other side of the field, pre-season All-American Bridget Deehan dominated the net in the first half for Notre Dame. In the first half, Deehan recorded seven saves on Syracuse’s 11 shots on goal. The game prior, Syracuse took charge of the Tewaaraton Watch List goalie, scoring 18 goals through 60 minutes.

But in the second half, Syracuse returned with vengeance scoring eight unanswered goals — two in the final minutes of the first half.

After 60 minutes, Syracuse outshot Notre Dame 38-23, scoring 15 goals to the Irish’s 12. Goldstock made 11 total saves — tying a career-high — and despite a career-high 14 saves, Deehan and the Fighting Irish fell to the Orange 15-12.

Second-half offensive explosion

Meaghan Tyrrell scooped up a pass from Sierra Cockerille that was meant for another attack. With her head up, Tyrrell picked up the ball and shot from the right side crease, as Beehan made a sliding save attempt, the ball flew into the back of the net on the left side.

With 14 seconds left in the first half, Emma Tyrrell caught a backhanded pass from Cockerille at the 8-meter hash, Tyrell crossed in front of the net, who flicked the ball behind the back into the right side of the set to end the first half on back-to-back Syracuse goals. Both Tyrell’s goals ignited a 8-0 run for Syracuse that carried well into the second half.

Syracuse overcame a five-goal deficit and scored 11 goals in the second half to overtake Notre Dame. The Irish tried to replicate its three-goal scoring streak from the final minutes of game one but came up short of a comeback.

The Orange offense proved too much for Notre Dame’s defense in the second half, outshooting the Irish 22-11. The second half offensive explosion catapulted Syracuse to its fifth win this season and fifth win against a top-ten team.

Draw control highs, foul and turnover lows

Syracuse dominated the draw circle, winning 22-7 draw controls. Early in the game, Syracuse’s Katelyn Mashewske led Syracuse with draw control wins, but the Syracuse defense failed to keep the ball in possession. In the first half, the Orange committed eight turnovers after defeating Notre Dame 10-2 on the draw through the first 30 minutes.

While the defense struggled with turnovers, the Orange offense struggled with fouls and yellow cards. The Orange were charged with three yellow cards in the first half from Mashewske, Megan Carney and Sam Swart. In the second half, Ella Simkins was charged with a yellow card after a dangerous slash against a Notre Dame attack. Simkins’s yellow card was Syracuse’s fifth of the game, making Syracuse’s man down penalties unreleasable.

In the first half, Notre Dame capitalized on its four free position shots, claiming two goals. After 60 minutes the Irish tallied five free position goals on eight free position shots, while the Orange scored two goals on nine attempts.

Despite turnover and foul trouble, the Orange remained in control of the draw circle and the lead throughout the second half. Mashewske finished the game with a career high 13 draw control wins.

Published on March 14, 2021 at 2:54 pm

Contact Skyler: skrivera@syr.edu | @skylerriveraa