Syracuse looks to continue stellar year against Virginia Tech in ACC Quarterfinals

Topher Wagner

April 28, 2021

Coming off its huge upset win over Virginia, No. 19 Virginia Tech looks to keep its season alive in a rematch against No. 3 Syracuse.

After an up and down season that saw Virginia Tech plummet in the ACC standings after a rocky start, the Hokies are back.

In what was its best offensive performance of the season, Tech exploded for 20 goals to beat its archrival No. 8 Virginia for its biggest win of the season. The Hokies’ offense was dominant from start to finish, jumping out to an early 13-5 halftime lead and never looking back as star Paige Petty recorded six goals in one of her top performances at Virginia Tech.

The Orange ended the regular season on a strong note, blowing out No. 4 Boston College 16-7 in the second matchup of a two game series between the conference heavyweights.

Similar to the Hokies, Syracuse improved to 12-2 on the year behind an explosive start to the game. The Orange went up 8-1 midway through the first half and didn’t let up against a BC squad that had edged them out by a single goal two days earlier.

Wednesday’s matchup is the 14th all-time contest between the two conference foes with Virginia Tech holding only one win in the series, an electric 15-14 double overtime victory in 2018.

With a trip to the ACC semifinals on the line, the game has the potential to be the most important contest in the history of the 20-year series. The Hokies hope to avenge their loss to Syracuse earlier this year, while the Orange look to stay on track in the quest for a national championship.

Syracuse Key to the Game: Win the Turnover Battle

Despite being outshot by the Eagles in its last win, Syracuse was in full control all game thanks to a formidable defensive presence. The Orange had nearly twice as many saves as BC, while forcing 18 turnovers with only 11 giveaways of their own.

Facing a potent Hokies’ offense that put up 10 goals the last time these two played, Syracuse will have to remain strong on the defensive side to prevail.

Virginia Tech Key to the Game: Win Draw Controls

The Hokies broke through for their first conference win this year against Virginia by an offensive attack that put up a whopping 31 shots on goal throughout the contest as Tech maintained possession for the majority of the game.

However, VT was able to pull this upset off primarily because of its tenacity on controlling draws against the Cavaliers. Tech had 21 DC’s, its most of the year, as its seemingly countless possessions doomed Virginia.

Virginia Tech will have to play a nearly flawless game to upset Syracuse and that starts with draw controls.

Syracuse Player to Watch: Emma Tyrrell

Normally for the Orange, it’s Meaghan Tyrrell that makes the clutch plays. The junior attacker has been Syracuse’s points leader all year long, but against BC, it was the younger Tyrrell sister that pulled out all the stops. Emma had a career best six goals to cap off her phenomenal game against the Eagles.

Following a slow start to her sophomore year, Emma Tyrrell has come into her own down the stretch, netting 12 goals in her last three games to become yet another weapon for a stacked Syracuse squad. If Tyrrell continues to fire on all cylinders, the Orange will be tough to stop.

Virginia Tech Player to Watch: Emma Crooks

While all eyes have been on Paige Petty this year, Crooks has quietly put together a stellar senior year and established herself as one of the better attackers in the ACC. Her 30 goals rank only second on the Hokies to Petty as she has been consistent all year, being held scoreless in just one game.

The Hokies will need one more strong game from Crooks to propel them into the semis.

Score Prediction: Syracuse 15, Virginia Tech 12

On paper, this should be a great matchup between two strong high-powered ACC opponents who are playing their best lacrosse as of late. The Hokies are coming off a 20 goal performance over No. 8 Virginia while Syracuse has gone just one game this season without scoring in double figures.

With these strong offensive numbers from both groups, it looks like whoever steps up on defense in this matchup will be able to pull out a win. In this contest, that squad will be Syracuse. It is coming off of arguably its best defensive effort of the season against Boston College and will be motivated to keep playing with this fire as the Orange try to reach the ACC Championship.

The Hokies have plenty of weapons on offense that should keep this one close throughout, but just like their first matchup against ‘Cuse this season, Tech will fade late to fall 15-12.