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For much of the past five seasons, the draw control circle hasn’t been a concern for Syracuse. Under head coach Kayla Treanor, the responsibility to gain possession for the Orange off the draw fell primarily on Kate Mashewske’s shoulders.

And Mashewske finished as the program’s second all-time leader in draw controls. Following SU’s loss in the Final Four to Boston College last season, her graduation left a tough act to follow for whoever was set to take over as Syracuse’s next draw control specialist.

To begin the 2025 season, Treanor seemed to place that responsibility on junior Meghan Rode. Despite coming up with 11 draw controls, Rode found mixed success against the Great Danes. Even with contributions from Molly Guzik, Alexa Vogelman and Olivia Adamson, SU still managed a 19-for-33 mark in the circle.

“(Rode) really hasn’t taken a whole lot of draws for us, and I think she’s kind of stepping into this role and just taking this opportunity that’s available and trying to own it,” Treanor said during media availability on Feb. 11.

Throughout its 15-9 win over No. 7 Maryland (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten), No. 6 Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) won just 12-of-28 draw controls. SU began with Rode taking the majority of draws, but she struggled against the Terrapins’ rotation of Kayla Gilmore, Kori Edmondson and Shelby Sullivan. After swapping Rode out for a more balanced rotation in the circle, SU’s draw control unit rebounded in the third and fourth quarters but wasn’t dominant by any means as it cruised to victory.

Last season, the Terrapins were led at the draw by Shaylan Ahearn and Meghan Ball, who led them to the NCAA Quarterfinals with 188 draw controls. Still searching for its No. 1 option — like the Orange — UMD looked to freshmen Gilmore and Sullivan in their first career games to take the reins at the circle. Edmondson, who had already proven herself as a viable option in the circle as a junior, also occasionally subbed in.

Looking for a response to Emma Ward’s tally just 50 seconds into play, Rode matched up for the second time against Gilmore in the circle. Just like her first draw, Gilmore easily flipped the ball up and behind her to Sullivan, who led Maryland’s first longstanding possession of the game in SU territory.

For nearly the next minute, the Terrapins worked the ball around the perimeter of SU’s zone. Eventually, Rode’s falter in the circle proved costly as Maisy Clevenger beat goalie Daniella Guyette from the top of the eight-meter line, tying the game 1-1.

Following the crucial mistake, Rode continued looking lost in the circle for the remainder of the first quarter. After six consecutive losses, she finally scooped up her first draw control at the 7:09 mark. Still, the ball ended up in the back of Syracuse’s net nearly four minutes later following a turnover by Emma Muchnick minutes later, cutting SU’s lead to three at 5-2.

From then on, it seemed as though Treanor had seen enough from Rode. For the remainder of the first and second quarters, Rode appeared less and less often on the draw and was replaced subtly by other new additions to the midfield. Guzik, Vogelman and Adamson were forced to step in for the Orange.

But even with the slight personnel change, SU only tacked on three more draw controls by the half. Meanwhile, the combination of Gilmore, Edmondson and Sullivan remained exceptional for the Terrapins and held a 10-4 lead in the circle through two quarters.

“That’s a great (draw control) unit. They’re super athletic and they compete really hard. We trust (Rode). It’s just that we were trying to mix it up a little bit and figure out a way to win some draw controls,” Treanor said postgame.

While Syracuse’s revolving door of midfielders at the circle found their form in the second half, they still were nowhere near where they wanted to be. Fortunately for the Orange, when the unit came up on the wrong end of a draw, defenders like Coco Vandiver and Kaci Benoit bailed them out by causing pivotal turnovers in SU’s zone.

Through the final 30 minutes of play, Syracuse’s midfielders and defenders combined for nine turnovers but still matched the Terrapins’ 15 total by the end of Saturday’s contest. Regardless, SU’s ability to recover from draw losses with turnovers across the field allowed it to pad its lead just enough to walk away with a decisive road victory.

With Adamson replacing Rode for the second half in SU’s draw control rotation, the Orange finished the contest with an 8-6 edge in draws through the third and fourth quarters. Still, the second-half performance wasn’t enough to silence the concerns Syracuse now likely faces at the position.

“We really struggled on draw controls today. A lot of times we’d get (the ball) to where we’d want it to go or we’d be doing the right things, and then we wouldn’t come up with it. It’s a big area of improvement for us,” Treanor said.

Published on February 15, 2025 at 4:34 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu