Oh, the sweet taste of revenge never gets old.

Northwestern lacrosse (1-0, 0-0 B1G) exorcised demons on Saturday as they defeated the #3 Syracuse Orange (0-1, 0-0 ACC) 18-15, the last team to defeat them 364 days previous.

“It was a great challenge for us. Syracuse threw a lot of punches. We were able to be the tougher team, scrap out a win,” fourth-year defender Kendall Halpern said after the game.

Graduate attacker Erin Coykendall led the way for the Wildcats, finishing the game with a game-leading eight points thanks to four goals and four assists. Second-year attacker Madison Taylor tacked on four goals of her own as part of the seven Wildcats that scored a goal.

Northwestern came out the gate firing on all cylinders, taking an 8-2 lead after one quarter and leading 11-6 at the half. Coykendall scored all four of her goals in the first 18 minutes of play, and the offense was humming throughout the first half.

To their credit, Syracuse wasn’t lacking in firepower either. Third-year attacker Olivia Adamson led all scorers with six goals as the Wildcats didn’t seem to have an answer for her. She helped keep the Orange in the game late. Syracuse scored four straight goals to open the fourth quarter, bringing the game within one score with 8:16 left to play.

Graduate transfer midfielder Lindsey Frank broke Syracuse’s late-game scoring streak with her third and final goal of the day. Sixth-year attacker Izzy Scane was kept in check most of the game but still managed a hat trick of her own, including Northwestern’s penultimate goal that all but put the game away.

Next for Northwestern is a trip to Notre Dame (2-0, 0-0 ACC) to take on the Fighting Irish. Last season, Scane made a career-high 10 goals against Notre Dame and will be looking for a breakout game early this season. For now, though, Northwestern will savor this win that sets a positive tone for the season because after all, revenge may be a dish best served cold, but revenge with a side of orange juice? That just makes it even sweeter.