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You never know what you’re going to get in a season opener. Both teams have no film on each other and systems often change over the offseason. All you do know is what systems you’ll run. The rest is up in the air.

“In the first game, it’s always a little bit of who are we and how are we going to be,” Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor said.

SU found its identity early and often on Friday. To kick off 2025, No. 6 Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) crushed UAlbany (0-1, 0-0 America East) 21-9, jumping out to an 8-2 first-quarter lead and never trailing. Six players who didn’t record a point last season for SU tallied at least one point while leading attacking duo Emma Ward and Olivia Adamson combined for 11. Twelve total point scorers contributed to a rapid style of play, resulting in a 12-goal victory.

“I think we played really fast, which is how we wanted to play,” Treanor said postgame. “We got up and down in the midfield and had a bunch of transition goals. I thought we were great on transition defense. So overall, a great start to our season.”

With a new-look lineup, the Orange exploded out of the gate courtesy of sophomore Alexa Vogelman. The No. 5 recruit in the 2023 class missed her freshman season with a torn ACL. In her first college action, Vogelman won the opening draw, later forced a free position and buried it. Following a SU defensive stop, Vogelman raced through the middle of the field, dodged left and dished to Princeton transfer Sam DeVito for a 2-0 lead.

Syracuse’s team was overhauled in the offseason. Despite the consistency of Ward and Adamson on the attack, SU replaced all-time draw control specialist Kate Mashewske with junior Meghan Rode.

Despite never taking a draw at Syracuse before Friday, Rode’s strong preseason allowed her to take the reigns in game one, according to Treanor. Adamson and Molly Guzik also warmed up pregame with draw controls but Rode was the clear-cut starter. Vogelman, who is one of the primary pieces on the circle, said that during pregame warmups Rode was already communicating where she wanted the players on the circle to be.

With DeVito and Vogelman in the circle in the early going, Rode gradually found her groove as Vogelman was potent all around the midfield. Freshman Caroline Trinkaus and sophomore defender Kaci Benoit also contributed on the circle. The unit started the game by winning 12-of-16 draws in the first half and finished with 19 total wins. Despite early success, the unit will continue to be analyzed.

“(The draw) is definitely an area where we’re trying a lot of different things out, and with time, we’ll kind of find the exact unit,” Treanor said.

A freshman grouping of Mileena Cotter, Guzik and Trinkaus also established themselves early. Trinkaus pushed SU’s lead to 3-0 and Cotter later added on following UAlbany’s first goal with a bounce shot off the turf in. The Great Danes didn’t break through until 6:52 remaining in the first quarter when Paisley Cook beat SU goalie Daniella Guyette.

With Delaney Sweitzer moving on to Northwestern and Syracuse graduating starting defenders Katie Goodale, Bianca Chevarie and Hallie Simkins, only Benoit and Coco Vandiver return. Friday, the Orange started Julia Basciano and freshman Lexi Reber, holding the Great Danes to four goals and just seven shots on goals in the first half.

Nearing the end of the first quarter and through the beginning of the second, UAlbany built a 3-0 run, slicing through the Orange as Emma Weaver scored and then assisted Haley Phalines. SU stopped the run with goals from Gracie Britton and then Emma Muchnick, who both return in larger roles this season after playing largely as depth pieces a year ago.

SU’s freshmen continued their fast start as it built on its lead in the second quarter. Already with two assists, Guzik received a pass from Trinkaus 10 yards out and rang a shot past Quinn McCarthy in net. Cotter then added another to push the lead to 13-4. Treanor joked that as the freshmen continued to grow, she wished the game would be longer so she could continue to watch them play.

Syracuse reached running-clock status when Ward beat McCarthy after a draw win from Vogelman. The goal was Ward’s third of the day and fourth point overall. While SU saw lots of change over the offseason, the connection between Ward and Adamson strengthened.

Seven minutes into the game, Adamson passed up a scoring chance on a free position for a quick dish on the back post to Ward. Ward returned the favor late in the second quarter, finding Adamson for her fifth point.

In 2023, it was the Meg show with Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney. Last season, the Emmas with Ward and Tyrrell ran the show. While Adamson and Ward don’t have a catchy nickname yet or the same name, they look to be the next great duo for the Orange, combining for 11 points in the season opener.

Muchnick finished the half with a late goal, extending the lead to 11 at the break. To start the second half, Vogelman maneuvered inside and flushed a shot into the back of the net. Britton, who started for the first time in her career, then scored to push the lead to 13.

As the running clock continued, SU’s defense built a nearly 23-minute drought for the UAlbany attack. A 10-0 run from 12:33 left in the second quarter to 5:15 left in the third allowed the Orange to cruise to a 12-goal victory.

SU’s seen lots of roster turnover since falling to Boston College on May 24. Still, Friday’s domination confirmed that this year’s squad is the same old Syracuse.

Published on February 7, 2025 at 3:34 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky