Score: #7 Syracuse 20, UAlbany 11
 
Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
 
Records: UAlbany (2-7) | Syracuse (6-3)
 
Short Story: UAlbany keeps it close in the first quarter against #7 Syracuse but the Orange pull away to win 20-11.
 
Key Stats

• Katie Pascale scored three goals and added one assist with seven draws
• Grace McCauley and Kloey Roos each scored twice
• Megan Dineen recorded two assists
• Grace Cincebox recorded 12 saves
• UAlbany outdrew Syracuse 18-16
• Syracuse outshot UAlbany 42-29
• Three Orange players each scored four goals

Head Coach Katie Thomson: "I am so proud of our team's effort and execution today against a really tough opponent in Syracuse.  We had so many bright and exciting plays and fought hard to keep every possession.  We'll keep focusing on areas to grow and regroup as we prepare for another conference opponent this weekend."
 
How it Happened

• Following the beginning of America East play, in which the Great Danes defeated Binghamton 15-13 in a rematch of the 2023 conference title game, the University at Albany women's lacrosse team headed back on the road for a brief nonconference stop at seventh-ranked Syracuse.  The Orange were the fourth top-10 team on the Great Danes' schedule in their first nine games.
• Syracuse most recently recorded arguably the most impressive result of the 2024 season so far, upending #9 North Carolina 20-5 over the weekend.  The Orange scored five goals against the Tar Heels in the first four minutes of the game, and never looked back.
• Just 48 seconds after the opening draw, Megan Dineen found Courtney Rowe to put UAlbany ahead 1-0.  Syracuse responded with three-straight goals over the next 6:48 of game time to take a two-goal lead.
• Kloey Roos ended UAlbany's scoring drought with her first of two goals with 6:43 left in the first quarter to cut Syracuse's lead to one.  The Orange responded by shutting out the Great Danes for the remainder of the first quarter, while scoring three goals over the period's final 5:10.
• Syracuse's run grew to 4-0 before UAlbany scored again.  Grace McCauley converted a free-position attempt with 9:52, ending a 11:51 drought for the Great Danes.  Two minutes later, Katie Pascale scored her first of three goals to bring UAlbany within 7-4.
• Syracuse rolled off each of the next five to take a 12-4 lead, before Ava Poupard scored with five seconds on the clock to end the Orange's run.  The Orange instead took a 12-5 lead into the break.
• UAlbany had controlled play in the draw circle in the first half, winning 13 attempts against Syracuse's six.  The Orange, however, forced UAlbany into committing 16 turnovers in the first 30 minutes.
• Syracuse opened the third quarter with a goal within the first 100 seconds, before UAlbany rolled off two-straight, from Pascale and Paisley Cook, over the ensuing five minutes.  Syracuse interrupted UAlbany's brief run, only to have Pascale convert a free-position attempt with 6:16 remaining. 
• Another three-goal run for the Orange gave Syracuse a 17-8 lead with 1:11 left in the third.  The Great Danes, closed with another goal in waning seconds of the quarter, a free-position from McCauley with one second on the clock.
• The first five-and-a-half minutes of the final frame went by without a score before Syracuse broke through to go back up by nine.  Emma Weaver responded with a free-position goal to close within eight, before Syracuse scored two-straight in just 44 seconds to take a double-digit lead and initiate the running clock.
• For the third-straight quarter, the Great Danes scored in the closing seconds, this time from Roos in transition with three seconds on the clock.  Syracuse would go on to win 20-11.
• UAlbany cut its turnovers in half after the halftime break, committing just eight in the final 30 minutes.  Syracuse bolstered its efforts in the draw circle, going 10-15 in the second half.

Next: UAlbany visits Vermont on March 23.