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During their five years at Syracuse, Meaghan Tyrrell and Megan Carney were at the forefront of the program’s success. In their final collegiate seasons in 2023, they led the Orange to the Final Four for the second time in their careers while Meaghan became the program’s all-time leader in points and Carney led the team in goals.

No matter what, 2024 would be a huge adjustment playing without two of the best players in program history. Because of their previous success, Emma Tyrrell and Emma Ward were naturally expected to step up on the attack. This season, they have. Emma leads the team in goals (63) and points (82), while Ward has the most assists (33) and third-most points (72).

Along with the attacking prowess, Kate Mashewske’s dominance in the draw circle has been crucial. After suffering a season-ending injury seven games into 2023, Mashewske found her stride in the back half of 2024. She finished the regular season strong with 10 or more draw controls in five of SU’s last seven games before averaging 14.33 per game in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. In SU’s NCAA Tournament game against Stony Brook, she won a season-high 20 — setting a new single-game NCAA Tournament program record.

By having Ward and Emma lead the attack and Mashewske thrive on the draw control, it’s been business as usual for Syracuse. But while those units are SU’s headliners, Katie Goodale has been its brightest star on defense, providing the dirty work to propel defense into offense.

As a senior, Goodale has set career-highs in caused turnovers (44) and ground balls (40) thus far. In Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament second-round matchup versus Stony Brook Sunday, Goodale registered her 101st career caused turnover, tying SU’s program record. In the quarterfinals against Yale Thursday, Goodale is primed to become the sole leader as she looks to help the Orange return to the Final Four.

“I love playing on our defensive unit, playing a zone is something that is so special because you not only have to play well individually, but mesh well with your other teammates,” Goodale said. “I think that’s something that we’ve really focused on and done really well.”

Goodale cemented herself as a sophomore after playing sparingly as a freshman, mostly with SU’s player-down unit. In her first career start on Feb. 12, 2022, against then-No. 13 Stanford, Goodale caused a game-high four turnovers — two more than she caused throughout her entire freshman campaign. Since then, she’s been a staple of Syracuse’s defense.

From that point, Goodale has caused the most turnovers out of any SU player. She led the team with 28 forced turnovers in 2022 before leading the team again with 27 in 2023. Now in 2024, Goodale has taken her game to a new level, causing 44 and counting. In Syracuse’s 17-8 ACC Tournament win over Louisville, Goodale caused a season-high five turnovers. Fittingly, she cemented herself with the most caused turnovers in a single season in program history, shattering Ella Simkins’ previous record of 35.

Katie Goodale is one caused turnover away from setting Syracuse’s all-time program record. Maxine Brackbill | Senior Staff Photographer

Throughout her record-breaking season, Goodale says her success has revolved around taking risks and communicating with her fellow defenders. Because SU plays a zone with differing roles for each player, everyone has to be on the same page, ensuring that they know when and where to slide. Playing in the center of the zone near the cage, everything revolves around Goodale.

“I know that I’m able to take risks and our defense because my other defenders have my back and they trust that I can go out there and make a play,” Goodale said.

When Goodale makes a play defensively, Syracuse consistently converts on the offensive end. If the Orange’s transition game does execute with a goal, their dominant draw control unit then helps them score in waves.

“Knowing that when we’re able to make a stop that our offense is going to be putting it in the back of the net is what keeps us so calm in games because we know that we can change the momentum of the game so fast,” Goodale said.

Beyond causing turnovers, Goodale thrives in gaining possessions via ground ball pickups. In each of the last two seasons, Goodale has led all SU field players in ground balls, corralling 27 last season before setting a career-high with 40 thus far in 2024. In the same game she tied the program record for caused turnovers, Goodale also possessed her 100th career ground ball.

Additionally, Goodale is a force on Syracuse’s draw control. When Mashewske doesn’t flip the ball to herself in the circle, Goodale often wins the 50/50 battle between the wing players. Goodale’s 45 draw controls rank second on Syracuse, only to Mashewske’s 205.

While players like Mashewske, Ward and Tyrrell steal the spotlight with their offensive success, Goodale completes the team on the defensive end. The Orange are one of four teams in the country to rank in Lacrosse Reference’s top 10 of offensive and defensive efficiency. Goodale’s uncanny ability to flip and gain possession is a key reason why.

“I love that kid. She plays so hard. And she’s so tough,” Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor said of Goodale on March 5. “And you know, if she’s near the ball, I know we’re going to come up with it.”

Published on May 16, 2024 at 12:15 am

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon