Syracuse (5-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast), carried by big offensive performances, held off Harvard (3-3, 0-1 Ivy), 20-13 at Tierney Field. SU was boosted by four hat-trick scorers: Sam Swart, Nicole Levy, Emily Hawryschuk and Kelzi Van Atta. The win lifts the Orange to 2-1 away from the Carrier Dome.

While the SU dominated the Crimson for much of the first half on Friday, Harvard pulled within two goals early in the second half.

SU’s offense responded, as it often has this season, with a big run. Over the span of almost twelve minutes in the second half, SU rattled off six-straight goals to take a commanding eight-goal lead with about 14 minutes remaining.

After losing by seven to Maryland on Sunday in what was SU’s worst offensive performance of the season, the offensive burst was enough to help Syracuse push ahead.

Five different Orange players scored during the 6-0 run, including two goals from senior captain Riley Donahue. It was part of a balanced SU attack all day which saw 11 different players get on the scoresheet.

Van Atta, who had three goals, hadn’t scored in SU’s last five games. She scored two in the season-opener against Connecticut. But against Harvard, she got two in the first half and completed the hat trick as part of the Orange’s big second-half run.

Hawryschuk maintained her team-lead in goals with a three-goal output, now with 21 on the season. Swart and Levy’s hat tricks kept them second and third on the team in goals, respectively. Swart is up to 17 in her freshman campaign and Levy, a junior, has scored 16 times.

At the faceoff X, where the Orange has struggled both before and after Morgan Widner suffered a season-ending right knee injury, Syracuse won just eight of 30 draws on Sunday against the Terrapins. But the Orange moved in the right direction on Friday, winning just under half of the draws, at 17-of-35. Julie Cross led SU with seven draws.

Syracuse starting goalie Asa Goldstock recorded just two saves while allowing eight goals, but the Orange’s offensive explosion took the game out of her hands. Freshman Hannah Van Middelem stepped into goal for the second half and played well, saving five shots while allowing just four goals.

Syracuse is back in action at Cornell on Tuesday, March 20 at 5 p.m.

Published on March 16, 2018 at 5:10 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3