With all the checks and slashes, a hockey game broke out during the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team’s 9-8 victory over Cornell on Tuesday night. But noting all the color, perhaps it was more like a soccer game.

In total, twelve yellow cards were issued. Two SU players, senior midfielder Courtney Palladino and freshman defender Bridget Looney, collected a red card upon their second yellow and were both ejected with about five minutes to play.

Most costly was the lone Cornell player to be shown the gate. When Big Red senior defender Annie Berkery was whistled for her second yellow ten minutes into the second half, SU promptly scored four goals in a row to take a 9-6 lead.

The most violent hits occurred in the first half, some of which resulted in cards but others no more than a regular foul. While the second half remained physical, the referees clearly made a decision to call the emotional game much tighter.

‘Of all the games I’ve been coaching, I’ve never seen that many cards issued in my career,’ said Cornell coach Jenny Grapp, who is in her eighth year with the Big Red. ‘I wish my team could’ve handled it a little better.’

Grapp said she thought it was SU’s strategy to play overly aggressive with its sticks. Referees called eight of the cards on Syracuse. In addition, SU was also whistled for 24 fouls while Cornell was called for 10.

SU head coach Lisa Miller, though, showed no signs of frustration with the officiating after the game.

‘Nobody was hurt, nothing was violent, all the kids on both teams were just playing really hard,’ Miller said.

‘Cornell lives on the physical game,’ she said. ‘You have to establish that you’re not going to be pushed around.’

While it was true nobody suffered any serious injuries, the first half featured several vicious plays. The first sign of the game’s nature occurred four minutes into the game when Orange freshman Shannon Brushe swatted Big Red leading scorer Kristen Smith across the face.

Though Brushe collected a yellow card, Looney somehow received only a foul when she cross-checked Cornell freshman Courtney Farrell in the neck five minutes later.

‘Any time you hit the head or take a big giant swing or you really rock somebody, it’s supposed to be a yellow card,’ Miller said. ‘Syracuse and Cornell is a big rivalry, it’s the nature of the game.’

When Berkery returned the favor of cross-checking SU senior midfielder Monica Joines in the neck with three minutes left in the first half, an official reached for her pocket immediately.

From that point on, it was clear that style would not be tolerated for the remainder of the game. While nine cards were issued in the second half, most came on seemingly innocent plays that would normally have been regular fouls.

But along with Miller, Orange players shook off any disappointment in the game’s intensity and officiating. In particular, Palladino said she especially relishes these types of situations.

‘You get to see what you’re made of and who can handle the hits,’ Palladino said.

Based on her smile, she knew Cornell had not quite handled the unexpected pressure. Whether it was SU’s plan or not, its physicality worked in its favor and the referees were forced to adjust.

‘(The) refs were just trying to maintain control of (the game),’ Joines said of the second half. ‘The refs felt like they had to say, ‘Hey, we’re still here. We’re not going to let you pound each other into the ground.”

Published on April 5, 2005 at 12:00 pm