A yellow card for a check to the head provided an early end to what had been a rough first half for Syracuse’s Kayla Treanor.

Although she scored SU’s first goal of the game, Treanor failed to capitalize on two free-position opportunities and struggled to find shooting lanes through the first 29 minutes of the contest.

But when she returned to the field in the second half, Treanor hit another gear.

The sophomore scored four goals in the second frame to help the No. 2 Orange (6-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) pull away in a 12-7 win over No. 15 Towson (2-1) in front of 1,113 fans at the Carrier Dome on Sunday afternoon. Treanor’s five tallies raised her team-leading goal count to 23 and tied her season-high output against Virginia and Jacksonville.

Teammate Alyssa Murray added four assists to help SU turn a slim one-goal lead at halftime into the 100th victory of head coach Gary Gait’s Syracuse tenure.

“Lacrosse is a lot about players making plays,” Gait said after the game. “These two beside me, (Treanor and Murray) made some big plays on offense to put the game away when we needed it.”

The Tigers jumped out to a quick lead when midfielder Paige Duncan was left wide open in front of the Orange net and fired a bullet past goalkeeper Kelsey Richardson.

Towson then built a 4-3 lead by the midway point of the half before senior midfielder Katie Webster scored two of her three goals to give Syracuse a slim advantage. The hat trick is Webster’s second in as many games.

But then the scoring stopped, as neither side could find the back of the net during the final 13:34 of the half.

The Orange only mustered six shots during that span, one of which careened off the crossbar. Shaky play in the draw circle and offensive turnovers also plagued Gait’s squad.

When SU did have a good look at the cage, Towson goalie Kelsea Donnelly closed the window in a hurry. The junior made eight saves and kept the Tigers within striking distance.

Treanor said the team needed to make a few adjustments if it hoped to fare better against Donnelly in the second half — and she helped her team do so.

“Just working on regrouping, taking quality shots and executing when we had the ball,” Treanor said. “They have a really strong goalie, and I think we came out a little flat in the first half.”

As soon as the break ended, Treanor took over.

Only 1:29 into the second stanza, Murray fed Treanor behind the net and then watched as she wrapped around the right side of the cage for a top-shelf goal.

After Towson’s Andi Raymond answered four minutes later, Kailah Kempney broke Treanor loose on the fast break with a beautiful lob pass from midfield. That goal made the score 7-5.

Towson fought back to tie, but Treanor broke the 7-7 deadlock on another wrap around, this time from the left side with 11 minutes remaining. And her final goal put the Orange ahead by four with 3:29 on the clock — putting the final touch on a gritty win.

Her efforts were helped by a stingy SU defense that allowed only three goals in the second half and forced numerous Tiger turnovers.

“That was key for our offense to put some goals away at the end,” Gait said.

Gait also said he was proud of his team’s ability to fight back after the slow start, especially against a tough team like Towson.

Syracuse’s season won’t get any easier when No. 3 Maryland comes the Dome on March 10. But after SU’s latest battle against a ranked opponent, Murray said she and her teammates are prepared for any challenge.

“I think we had a tough week on the road and really were tested from really cold (Virginia) to BC,” Murray said. “Now, we’re back in the Dome where it’s always nice weather. We’re ready to go.”

Published on March 2, 2014 at 6:37 pm

Contact Tyler: tfpiccot@syr.edu