Women's Lacrosse

Grading Syracuse women’s lacrosse at the midway point

Ally Moreo | Photo Editor

Gary Gait's team got off to an incredibly hot start but has struggled to keep up as of late.

No. 11 Syracuse (8-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) is a little more than halfway through its season. The Orange won its first seven games of the season. It now has four more conference games remaining to finish out its schedule and is just 1-3 over its last four games. The Daily Orange beat writers awarded superlatives and graded the units as SU gets ready for the second half of the season.

Grades (A-F)

Nick Alvarez
– Goalie: B
– Defense: B-
– Midfield: B
– Attack: A-
– Draw: A

Matt Feldman
– Goalie: B-
– Defense: C+
– Midfield: A
– Attack: A-
– Draw: A

Kaci Wasilewski
– Goalie: B-
– Defense: B-
– Midfield: B+
– Attack: B+
– Draw: A



Team MVP: Riley Donahue and Nicole Levy

With the loss of Kayla Treanor and Halle Majorana, and their 95 goals, Syracuse needed new offensive leaders. Earlier in the season, head coach Gary Gait said he didn’t know who would step up. Eleven games in, it is clear that SU relies on the production from Riley Donahue and Nicole Levy. The pair co-leads SU in goals scored and have combined for 65 points. In the three one-goal games this season, Donahue has scored two game-winners. It would be unfair to prioritize one over the other, as both are crucial to the Orange’s success every game. — Nick Alvarez

Biggest Surprise: Devon Parker

Between the end of the 2016 season and the start of the 2017, senior Devon Parker switched from a midfielder to starting attack. Filling a need for a left-handed attack as well as a major hole left by Treanor and Majorana, Parker can now focus only on the offensive side of the ball, which so far has worked for her. Last season, she finished with four points over 17 games. In the game against Virginia alone, she had five goals and helped spark SU’s comeback. Her 16 points (12 goals and four assists) puts her fifth on the team. In the back half of the season, Parker’s efforts will be needed to achieve success against highly ranked teams like No. 2 North Carolina. — Kaci Wasilewski

Biggest disappointment: Asa Goldstock

Asa Goldstock has seen her share of downfalls through the first half of SU’s season, posting more than a .500 save percentage just three times in the Orange’s first 11 games. She has struggled immensely against top opponents, allowing an average of 14.6 goals in her last five appearances, all but one (Harvard) coming against ranked teams. Early on, Gait said that a lot of her problems were coming due to her aggressiveness in the net, and turnovers via errant passes. Goldstock has calmed her aggressiveness down, but she’s still been unable to put up the type of save numbers she was expected to as an Under Armor All-American and one of the Orange’s most highly touted recruits. — Matt Feldman

X-factor moving forward: Team Defense

Syracuse’s defense was exposed against the likes of No. 1 Maryland, No. 3 Florida and No. 13 Notre Dame. The Orange has given up at least 15 goals each game over its last five and has gone 2-3 in that span. Specifically, the middle of the Orange’s defense has been fairly open. Gait will need to assure his team communicates more and catches the cutting attacks that have breached SU’s defense at will. If Syracuse is to make another deep tournament run and possibly dethrone Maryland, the defense will need to tighten up. — Nick Alvarez

Evaluating the Attack

Syracuse’s strength is its attack. SU has found success this year like most dominant teams do, control possession and scoring at will. The Orange’s strong offense has come from its litany of scoring options. Led by Levy and Donahue, there are currently nine players with at least 10 goals on the roster. The only negative is the attack has struggled against top teams. Syracuse’s three losses this season has come against the current first, third and 13th ranked teams in the nation. SU averages 8.7 goals per game in losses. In wins, it averages 15. The attack has been without Taylor Gait for the last three games and her return will help. But unless the Orange proves it can beat the best goalies, SU’s postseason run will be short. — Nick Alvarez

Evaluating the Midfield
The midfield has been a strong supporting cast to the high scoring efforts of the attack. The depth that the top six midfielders provide allows for quick rotation. All six have 10 or more points. Mary Rahal leads the midfield in points, ranking third overall with 19. Her overtime goal against Harvard gave the Orange a much needed road win. In the loss to Maryland, it was the midfield that kept SU on the board, scoring six of the seven goals in the 17-7 blowout loss. The unit provides a second layer of attack when the high scoring attack duo of Nicole Levy and Riley Donahue are shut down. — Kaci Wasilewski

Evaluating the defense

Though Goldstock hasn’t looked stellar in the net so far this season, much of her woes can be attributed to a struggling Orange defense. The SU defense has allowed 11.36 goals per game, good for just 50th in the nation, and the Orange is averaging only 8.18 caused turnovers per game, the 82nd-best mark. SU’s 1.91 scoring margin is just the 38th and is largely due to the Orange allowing 125 goals on the season. Thankfully for SU, its offense made up for shaky defense early in the season, but after losing three of its last four, the defense needs to turn its act around in the second half in order to right the ship. — Matt Feldman





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