There were 7,314 fans in attendance for Sunday night’s women’s lacrosse game between No. 3 Syracuse and No. 4 Stony Brook, a testament of both the occasion and the matchup.

Prior to the contest, Syracuse honored all-time great Katie Rowan by retiring her number in the rafters of the Carrier Dome. That alone brought people to the building. But add in the marquee nature of the game and the ensuing back and forth that featured late yellow cards, missed opportunities and even an illegal stick, there wasn’t a single one of those fans who wasn’t at the edge of their seat.

Stony Brook pitched a fourth-quarter shutout in its season opener, but the Seawolves offense fell just shy of completing a comeback. Four goals from Meaghan Tyrrell and two late goals by freshman Olivia Adamson were too much to overcome, as Syracuse (3-0) earned a 12-11 win.

In a game of runs, it was Syracuse that made the final statement. Stony Brook took a 9-8 lead after Charlotte Verhulst put the finishing touches on a 3-0 run, and Seawolves coach Joe Spallina was visibly pumped on the sideline.

A media timeout gave Syracuse an opportunity to regroup and an opportunity for rookie head coach Kayla Treanor to make a change. That 3-0 Stony Brook coincided with three straight draw control wins, so Treanor temporarily replaced Kate Mashewske with Emily Hawryschuk in the center circle.

Hawryschuk immediately won the next draw, prompting the tying goal from Megan Carney. Syracuse went on to score the next three goals for a 12-9 lead. To make matters worse, Stony Brook failed two clears late in the third quarter, further establishing Syracuse’s momentum.

A nerve-wracking fourth quarter got more interesting when Erin MacQuarrie assisted Albany transfer Kyla Zapolski to cut Syracuse’s lead to 12-11 with 5:37 remaining. That came with Sierra Cockerille on the sideline after a yellow card. That was the first of four yellow cards inside the final seven minutes, all of which culminated in the removal of Cockerille and Ellie Masera — both of whom picked up two yellow cards in the period.

The stout Syracuse defense, one featuring many new faces after a large graduating class, held firm in the final moments. A Stony Brook timeout with 2:16 remaining set up a pivotal possession, but Natalie Smith caused a turnover that was picked up by Tessa Queri with a minute left, giving Syracuse the chance to run out the remainder of the clock.