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After securing a first-round bye, No. 3 Syracuse (14-3, 8-2 Atlantic Coast) begins its NCAA Tournament play on Sunday against Loyola Maryland (12-2, 4-0 Patriot League). The game will be played in the Carrier Dome after Loyola Maryland topped Hofstra on Friday. This will be SU’s ninth straight tournament appearance as the Orange look to secure their first national title.

Here’s what you need to know about the Greyhounds:

All time series:

Syracuse leads 15-6

Last time they played:

Syracuse opened its season against Loyola back in February, but the circumstances were very different. Billed as a top-five matchup between then-No. 3 Syracuse and then-No. 4 Loyola, the Orange cruised to a 18-6 win where they led the entire game. Megan Carney, Meaghan Tyrrell and Emily Hawryschuk led SU with 16 combined points. But that game would be the only time the trio ever shared the field this season as Hawryschuk tore her ACL in practice later that week and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

After that game Syracuse continued the rest of the season floating between the No. 2 and No. 3 rank, while the Greyhounds began to slip down the rankings. Loyola Maryland ended the season at No. 10 nationally despite only losing one game after falling to SU.

The Loyola Maryland Report

Loyola lost its second game right after playing Syracuse to Towson 13-7. Since then, the Greyhounds are on a 12-game winning streak en route to a Patriot League Championship victory. Most notably, the Greyhounds have held opponents to under 10 goals in all but two games during their winning streak. Loyola has the fourth best scoring defense in the country, albeit against weaker competition than the ones Syracuse faced in the ACC. The Greyhounds allow only 7.79 goals per game, with only 109 goals allowed all season, which is comparable to No. 1 North Carolina, who only let in 107 goals.

How Syracuse beats Loyola

Syracuse’s offense is completely different personnel wise than the group that put up 18 on Loyola in the season-opener. However, the Orange still have the firepower to top Loyola and end its win streak. Emma Ward has stepped in for Hawryschuk and Emma Tyrrell stepped in for the now injured Carney. Loyola’s defense might be playing well, but it hasn’t faced a test quite like the Syracuse offense. If the Orange stick to their weave offense and create scoring opportunities not just for their attacks but also the midfielders, then Syracuse should come out on top.

Stat to know: 58.3%

Loyola wins 58.3% of its draw controls, an aspect that Syracuse has struggled with recently. The Orange win 53.8% of their draw controls, but against a tight defense like Loyola, every possession will count. Syracuse didn’t win a single draw control for half of the second period against UNC in the ACC Championship game. By then, the Tar Heels already pulled away since Syracuse wasn’t able to get the possessions it needed.

Player to watch: Livy Rosenzweig, No. 4, Attack

Rosenzweig leads Loyola with 79 points and has notched 33 goals and 46 assists — both team-highs. The All-American senior could not score on SU in the regular season, but she did record two assists. However, like the rest of her team, Rosenzweig dominated during the team’s win streak. She has a season-high nine points in a game against Drexel, which also made the NCAA Tournament. Look for Syracuse to key in on Rosenzweig on Sunday as the Orange try to stifle the Greyhounds attack.

Published on May 15, 2021 at 12:17 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu