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After losing to No. 1 Northwestern to begin the 2024 season, No. 5 Syracuse returned to the JMA Wireless Dome and defeated No. 18 Army 18-7.

The Orange jumped out to a 10-goal halftime lead that carried them to their 11th straight home-opening victory dating back to 2014. Without Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney, its top two scorers from 2023, SU is trying to find its identity. Through two games, Olivia Adamson, Natalie Smith and Emma Ward have led the offense, scoring double-digit points respectively.

After a top-five matchup at Northwestern on Feb. 10, Syracuse gets another chance to take down a top opponent and pick up its second win in four days. SU welcomes No. 9 Maryland to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. In their season-opener, the Terrapins defeated Saint Joseph’s 16-3 on Feb. 9 and haven’t played since.

Here’s everything you need to know before Syracuse (1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces Maryland (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten):

All-time series

Maryland leads 20-2.

Last time they played…

Then-No. 4 SU upset then-No. 2 Maryland 20-11 on Feb. 17, 2023 at the JMA Wireless Dome. The win came six days after SU defeated then-No. 4 Northwestern in its first game of the season.

SU led by one goal after the first quarter and then outscored the Terrapins 5-1 in the second quarter to create a five-goal advantage by halftime. Tyrrell scored a game-high six goals, while each team had eight scorers. Tyrell also tallied a career-high 11 points.

On the defensive end, Delaney Sweitzer notched a career-high 13 saves, protecting the Orange’s early lead. SU won the draw control battle 18-16, led by Kate Mashewske who tallied 13 controls in the circle.

The Terrapins report

In Maryland’s only game of 2024, it had nine goal scorers leading to a 16-3 win over St. Joseph’s. Attacker Eloise Clevenger was primarily feeding the ball, notching seven assists, which leads all NCAA players who’ve played two or fewer games.

Attacker Libby May returns to Maryland after scoring a team-leading 62 goals in 2023, a tally that ranked 18th in the country. The Terrapins midfield is cemented by Kori Edmondson, who scored 41 goals last season. Both May and Edmondson scored two goals in Maryland’s first game.

In the win, the Terrapins used a fast start to build a 10-0 halftime lead over the Hawks. St. Joseph’s didn’t score until the third quarter and by that point, Maryland was fully in control which led to the win. Maryland nearly tripled St. Joseph’s in shots on goal, topping it 31-13.

How SU beats Maryland

For Syracuse to secure its second straight win, it needs to mark Clevenger. Freshman defender Kaci Benoit took the assignment of defending Northwestern’s top-scoring threat and Tewaaraton Award reigning winner Izzy Scane. Benoit defended Scane for 45 minutes and held her to two goals, allowing SU to cut its deficit to one in the fourth quarter.

Draw controls are also crucial to SU’s early season success. It lost the battle in the circle 24-13 in its loss to Northwestern on Feb. 10 but won the draw 16-11 in its win over Army. Mashewske is the piece that head coach Kayla Treanor relies on to win in the circle.

Against the Terrapins, SU needs to start strong. This season has been a tale of two first quarters. Against Northwestern, Syracuse was outscored 8-2 but against Army, it outscored the Black Knights 8-2 in the first 15 minutes.

Stat to know: 81.8%

Maryland goalie Emily Sterling stopped 81.8% of St. Joseph’s shots. Sterling shut the Hawks out in the first half and did not allow a goal until the third quarter, stopping 9-of-11 shots on goal.

In each of the past two seasons, Sterling has been named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year. Her 186 saves in 2023 ranked sixth in the nation and in 2024 she enters her fourth year as the starter.

Sterling trained with Sweitzer during the summer of 2023 at The GoalieSmith experience. There, the pair trained with some of the country’s top goalies. Sweitzer and Sterling both were ranked in Inside Lacrosse’s Top 50 Player ranking No. 49 and No. 5 respectively.

Player to watch: Eloise Clevenger, attack, No. 6

Clevenger leads a Maryland offensive group that returns its top 10 scorers from 2023. Last season, Clevenger tallied a team-high 47 assists, a mark that ranked 11th in the country. Through one game, Clevenger picked up where she left off last season, distributing seven assists.

Clevenger, a senior, enters her third season as a starter. As a starter in 2022, her assists mark ranked second on the Terrapins. Last season, she set a career-high with 73 points, scoring 26 goals. Clevenger’s success on offense led to All-Big Ten First Team recognition.

Maryland’s offense runs through Clevenger, and she will be a player SU needs to mark to stop the Terrapins.

Published on February 16, 2024 at 2:53 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32