Syracuse women’s lacrosse rolled past Brown, 15-9, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening in New Haven, earning a spot in Sunday’s second-round matchup against No. 7 seed Yale.
Emma Ward led the offensive charge with six points on three goals and three assists, while Emma Muchnick added a hat trick to push her team-leading goal total to 34. The Orange (10-8) had eight different goal scorers, showcasing their balanced attack in the postseason win.
After trailing early, Syracuse tied it up at 3-3 thanks to a Brown own goal, and Muchnick’s second of the day gave them the lead for good to end the first quarter. A dominant second quarter followed, with the Orange outscoring the Bears 8-3, highlighted by key goals from Ashlee Volpe, Mileena Cotter, and Bri Peters to take an 11-6 halftime lead.
Brown threatened with a brief second-half push, trimming the lead to four, but Ward shut the door with goals to end the third and seal the fourth. Syracuse outshot Brown 30-24 and had the edge in ground balls and draw controls, led by Meghan Rode’s nine draws.
With the win, Syracuse improved to 29-21 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. They will face Yale on Sunday, looking for revenge after an earlier loss to the Bulldogs.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
