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After Sierra Cockerille willed her way through four defenders to give Syracuse a 4-3 lead, a championship win seemed possible for the Orange. Syracuse had scored three straight goals, all coming from pillars in its offense: Emma Ward, Emma Tyrrell and Cockerille. 

Four minutes later, Emma Tyrrell received a yellow card after pressuring Boston College on the transition. Emma Tyrrell sat in the white chair on the sideline, watching the Eagles tie the game on the woman-up opportunity. 

She returned into play following BC’s draw control win, but she was too aggressive and returned to the white chair. This time, she wouldn’t be able to get up, as the two yellow cards ejected her from the game. In less than a minute, Syracuse lost its third-leading scorer, a hole the Orange couldn’t fill for the rest of the game. 

“The way (Emma Tyrrell)’s been playing, she’s been tough to replace,” head coach Gary Gait said after the 16-10 loss. “A little bit too much to replace.”

After losing three key offensive players to torn ACLs during the season, the Orange faced a near impossible task of making its third NCAA title game. But with Gait’s “next-woman-up” mentality, they did it. After Emma Tyrrell exited the game with two yellow cards on championship Sunday, No. 3 seed Syracuse’s (17-4, 8-3 Atlantic Coast) attack sputtered in its defeat to No. 4 seed Boston College (18-3, 9-2 ACC). Syracuse notched just two scores in the final half, with 19 shots in the entire game. 

The next-player-up strategy is something that the Orange showed throughout the season, and specifically in the NCAA Tournament. In each tournament game, the Orange had a single player carry a majority of the offensive load.

Meaghan Tyrrell was the first to strike for Syracuse, recording 10 points against Loyola in the second round and eight against Northwestern in the Final Four. Between those games, Emma Ward had a career-high showing against No. 6 seed Florida, notching six goals and an assist. 

Against the Gators, Emma Tyrrell also had four scores and two assists, but her best performance came against the Eagles before the postseason started. After Megan Carney went out against Boston College in April, Emma Tyrrell earned her first start at attack in the final game of the regular season. 

Emma Ward notched two goals and one assist against Boston College. Courtesy of Greg Fiume | NCAA Photos

Emma Tyrrell had a career-high showing against the Eagles’ defense, recording six goals and an assist in the Orange’s 16-7 win. In the ACC Tournament semifinals, Boston College couldn’t stop her again, and she scored four crucial goals in Syracuse’s 19-17 win. 

Early in the first half of the NCAA Championship game, Emma Tyrrell’s dominance against the Eagles’ defense was showcased again. After a shot attempt by BC’s Cara Urbank hit the post, Sarah Cooper picked up the ground ball to start the Orange’s transition. Emma Tyrrell streaked down the left side of the 8-meter, and Cara Quimby found her for a score. 

In eight seconds, Syracuse turned a defensive stop into a score. But eight minutes later, Emma Tyrrell was forced to leave the game. After Emma Tyrrell’s departure, the coaching staff made the decision to rely on freshmen Maddy Baxter and Jenny Markey, Gait said. 

Syracuse had relied on younger players like Baxter and Markey before, but the main option who previously fit that freshman position at attack was Emma Ward. Ward first received a spot in the starting attack after Emily Hawryschuk tore her ACL in practice following Syracuse’s season-opener against Loyola. 

Replacing Hawryschuk in her first start, Ward struggled. Ward recorded three assists in Syracuse’s 16-6 win over Stony Brook, but she missed on all four of her shot opportunities. Ward bounced back, however, scoring four times against Duke the following week and recording points in all but one game over the remainder of the season. 

But like Ward’s first start, Markey and Baxter faltered in their first shot of increased time at attack. The duo combined for just two points — a goal from Baxter and an assist by Markey.  

Still, Syracuse found offensive success throughout the opening period, recording eight goals before the first-half buzzer sounded. The Orange’s scores came from a mixture of strong passing and isolation plays. 

After Emma Tyrrell’s score on the transition cut Boston College’s lead to 3-2, Syracuse used its motion offense for the next score. Meaghan Tyrrell got the ball off the motion and curled toward the cage from the right side of the 8-meter. With no shot opportunity, Meaghan Tyrrell flipped the ball to Ward, who curled behind her from the side. Ward darted an attempt with her right hand, finding the back of the net to tie the game. 

Meaghan Tyrrell’s assist to Ward was one of just two points she recorded Sunday. Meaghan Tyrrell was held to zero goals in the opening period, her first scoreless half since the ACC championship game against North Carolina.

Her lack of production was a result of the tight defense Boston College played on her throughout the game. The Eagles double-teamed her on most Syracuse possessions, preventing the junior from getting any open shots.

After Carney and Hawryschuk’s injuries, Meaghan Tyrrell took over the reins as Syracuse’s offensive leader. Heading into the NCAA Championship game, she had 24 points in the tournament. This season, she averaged 5.3 points per game, leading the Orange in goals, points and assists. But more importantly, she led all Syracuse players in shots with 122 this year. Against the Eagles, she had four, including just one shot on goal. 

At the beginning of the second half, Syracuse continued to try and find a player to step up. Ward attempted to be the Orange’s offensive savior, positioning herself with the ball behind the cage on SU’s first possession of the period.

Ward looked for cutters, but none emerged. She eagerly moved to the left side of the 8-meter, still looking to find an opportunity to tie the game. But as she continued to move around, BC’s Sydney Scales launched at Ward, swiping the ball out of her stick.  

Ward’s turnover was the first of eight committed by Syracuse in the second half as Boston College continued to surround the Orange’s best attacks with multiple defenders. The Eagles capitalized on those turnovers by scoring three straight after Ward’s giveaway. 

With nine minutes left in the game, though, Syracuse attempted a comeback. Ella Simkins intercepted a pass from Boston College’s Jenn Medjid, and the Orange moved upfield. 

Syracuse moved fast on the ensuing possession as Bianca Chevarie fired a strike at BC goalie Rachel Hall that went wide right. Meaghan Tyrrell collected Chevarie’s miss and passed to Baxter who rifled another shot, this one going wide left. 

Then, Chevarie got the ball and spun away from one defender before sending another shot at goal. Hall made the save, but it bounced to Quimby, who gave it to Meaghan Tyrrell for another opportunity that sailed too high. 

In four shots, from three different players, all with different levels of experience in SU’s attack, Syracuse couldn’t find success. The injuries, yellow cards and turnovers caught up with the Orange on championship Sunday, leaving them still hungry for that ever-elusive national championship.

Published on May 30, 2021 at 6:23 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu