Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

As she took the podium following Syracuse’s 9-8 loss to then-No. 12 Clemson on March 1, SU head coach Kayla Treanor appeared disgruntled. She had every reason to be.

Following a flawless 3-0 start, the Orange had lost three straight games without Olivia Adamson. To make matters worse, Syracuse’s draw control unit had turned in another putrid performance, snagging less than 50% of its opportunities for the fourth time in six games.

Even after having time to settle into its new-look roster, the problem still remained: who would succeed Kate Mashewske as Syracuse’s next draw control specialist?

“You got any ideas?” Treanor responded sarcastically when asked about improving SU’s draw unit after the Clemson game. “I’m open to whatever it takes.”

Against No. 6 Stanford (6-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast), Syracuse (4-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) looked to Joely Caramelli and Mileena Cotter to split that role. Despite entering Friday’s contest with a combined six draw wins, the duo brought new life to the Orange’s troublesome draw control group. Accounting for 10 total wins, Caramelli and Cotter fueled SU’s 16-for-30 (53%) day in the circle, proving there may be hope on the draw control post-Mashewske after all.

Despite Caramelli, Cotter and Alexa Vogelman having never worked together on the draw before Friday, the trio was lights out in the first quarter and scooped up 5-of-6 draws. By finding success early, Caramelli and Co. set the foundation for what had the potential to be SU’s most dominant day in the circle since Mashewske’s departure.

For the first time in 2025, Treanor opted not to place Meghan Rode on the opening draw. Instead, she sent Caramelli into the circle to face Stanford’s Ava Arceri, one of five Cardinal players who racked up 20-plus draw controls last season.

Despite the experience gap, Caramelli still got the better of Arceri. Flipping the ball upward, she redirected it onto Cotter’s stick to secure the first win, giving Syracuse the all-important first offensive possession. Minutes later, Emma Ward cashed in on a free-position chance to give SU an early edge. After scooping up a draw of her own, Vogelman then doubled SU’s lead.

Even when Arceri finally hauled in her first win almost four minutes into play, it didn’t matter. Faced with consistent pressure in the midfield, the Cardinal immediately handed SU the ball back via an out-of-bounds stoppage.

For the final 10 minutes of the frame, SU’s unit remained flawless. Coming out on the winning side of the final three draws of the first, Caramelli and Cotter’s efforts in the circle allowed the Orange to build their advantage to 4-1 entering the second quarter.

“It’s a new role that I do have a little bit of experience with,” Caramelli said postgame. “I’ve just been working with the coaches and my teammates. It really just comes down to doing anything for this team to win.”

But after such a strong start, Syracuse’s draw control unit looked lost for most of the second. Suddenly, matchups it handled with ease against Stanford’s best draw specialists in Arceri, Rylee Bouvier and Jordyn Case became impossible to win.

In response to her draw unit’s sudden lull, Treanor decided to slot Rode back into the circle, but nothing changed. Rode was also held silent. By halftime, SU’s repeated hiccups on the draw had amounted to a 2-for-11 mark in the second quarter and a one-goal deficit, trailing 8-7.

But even after one of SU’s worst quarters in the circle in recent memory, Treanor still showed faith in Caramelli and Cotter. She gave the duo a chance to prove the second quarter was nothing more than a fluke, and that’s exactly what they did.

Sparked by Caramelli’s five unanswered draw controls to open the third, the Orange quickly shifted the momentum back in their favor. SU reclaimed the lead by scoring five of the game’s next six goals.

With Caramelli, Cotter and the rest of SU’s draw unit once again operating at full capacity, SU’s offense returned to form in tandem after being held to just three tallies a quarter prior. Basically handed free possessions from the circle, it only took contributors like Caroline Trinkaus, Sam DeVito and Emma Muchnick seconds to turn its 6-for-7 mark on draws into goals past Stanford’s Lucy Pearson.

“She just battled all night,” Treanor said of Caramelli. “Even if she’s not winning it to herself, she’s able to make it a 50/50 or get the ball on the ground cause she just competes so hard.”

In the fourth quarter, Cotter and Caramelli’s production yet again slowed down. Raking in just 3-of-6 draws, the Cardinal proceeded to crawl back into the game and force overtime. The two were only given three more opportunities in the overtime periods, but even without their help, SU still prevailed.

Despite showing struggles midway through the game, Caramelli and Cotter’s efforts on the draw Friday set a new benchmark for success in the circle for the Orange.

While their performance wasn’t anywhere near that of Mashewske, the duo’s flashes of brilliance against the Cardinal Friday set a vital starting point for Syracuse’s new wave of draw control specialists to build upon.

“(Caramelli) was just a warrior on the draw all night, and then as a freshman, Mileena Cotter came up huge for us and (was) absolutely fearless in the moment,” Treanor said. “I’m really proud of the group, and I just wanna keep building from here.”

Published on March 8, 2025 at 12:06 am

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu | @ma77hew_gray