It seemed so easy for Kayla Treanor.

She brought a Denver defender to her left, then spun to the right. Working with her back to the net, she twisted again and dodged another defender before firing a low shot past Denver goalie Hannah Hook. The goal gave SU a 14-5 lead, its largest lead of the game.

No. 3 SU (1-0) dominated No. 19 Denver (0-1) in a 18-10 win at the Carrier Dome on Saturday —  the first game of a doubleheader which finishes with Canisius at 7:30 p.m. Treanor led the way with six points off five goals and an assist. Attacks Halle Majorana and Devon Collins both tallied hat tricks and Kailah Kempney came through with another four points.

SU and DU gave the ball away on their initial possessions, but Syracuse recovered quicker than Denver. Treanor found Orange attack Lisa Rogers slicing through the middle of the Pioneer defense for the first goal of the game.

In her first game in a Syracuse uniform, Majorana made her mark, too. She caught a pass on the crease and found herself one-on-one with the goalie. Majorana threw her stick into a fake at her waist, jerked her stick low and in one motion brought her stick back up, firing a shot into the net.

The Pioneers to stayed in the game early on three goals in its first three shots on goal. SU goalie Kelsey Richardson failed to record a save until over 20 minutes into the first half. But as the game carried on, Richardson settled in and finished with seven saves.

Despite nearly doubling Denver’s score, the Orange’s dominance was nonchalant. SU players solicited little more than a golf clap from their teammates on the bench.

Even players on the field celebrated with what seemed to be half-hearted hugs. It was business as usual in the season opener for a Syracuse team looking that’s only starting what’s expected to be a dominant campaign.

Published on February 7, 2015 at 3:14 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati