Despite lessons learned from arduous schedule, SU’s growth not enough to defeat No. 1 Maryland
Syracuse senior midfielder Christina Dove cradles the ball as Maryland defender Karissa Taylor attempts to check the ball out of Dove's possesion in SU's 14-5 loss to the Terrapins Friday. For Dove, Friday's final four loss was the final game for the midfielder in a career in which she recorded an Orange-record 250 goals.
TOWSON, Md — Christina Dove and Halley Quillinan stood near the center of the field at Johnny Unitas Stadium embracing each other as the final seconds ticked away Friday. The two Syracuse senior midfielders had blazed the path that enabled the Orange to see success throughout the season.
But the journey had finally drawn to a close. A season marked with surprising realities had come to an end.
‘This team went through a lot of adversity this season, it’s been just such an incredible ride,’ Quillinan said as tears streamed down her face following the game Friday. ‘So many people didn’t think we could do this and we were unseeded and we proved a lot of people wrong.
‘We proved ourselves right.’
No. 10 Syracuse (15-7) saw its improbable NCAA tournament run come to a grinding halt in Towson, Md. Friday against No. 1 Maryland (21-1), 14-5, in the tournament semifinals. The Orange was the only unseeded team to advance past the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse was also the only lower seeded team to advance in any matchup throughout the tournament. SU played the role of the underdog throughout the first three rounds of the tournament, upsetting formidable opponents in the first two rounds. But the top-ranked Terrapins put an end to that.
With the loss, Dove and Quillinan saw their illustrious lacrosse careers come to an end. Dove tallied two goals and an assist on the night, ending her career with a program-record 250 goals.
Quillinan, the main threat during Syracuse’s 7-3 quarterfinal win against James Madison with four points, was be held at bay for much of the contest. She added one goal in the losing effort.
SU, had trouble early and often finding gaps in the Terrapins defense. The Orange scored twice in the first half as Maryland cruised into halftime with a 7-2 lead.
Maryland outshot Syracuse 28-19 in the game. The same SU squad that was able to turn minimal chances into points during the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament was unable to find quality opportunities against the nation’s top scoring defense.
Syracuse head coach Gary Gait struggled to find a remedy for the stagnant SU offense, one that had been explosive throughout the entire season.
‘Unfortunately, we got here and we were a little flat and didn’t come out very well in the first half and allowed them to really gain confidence on the field with the ball,’ Gait said. That made it a tough road to battle back.’
Syracuse would make a run to move within three goals, 5-8, at the 11:23 mark of the second half before Maryland scored six consecutive goals to close out the game.
Maryland head coach Cathy Reese was not surprised with the runs by either team.
‘We knew that Syracuse is a very high powered offense,’ Reese said. ‘We knew what they were capable of, but as do we.’
The Orange was plagued by injuries throughout the season. It lost three of its starting senior defenders at various points of the season.
But SU used this adversity as motivation to go out and perform at a high level.
‘I looked at this year and we had as a difficult a year as I have had as a coach with injuries,’ said Gait. ‘I think that helped our team rally throughout our playoff run and through the end of the year because we always wanted to go out there and play for those players that had given so much to the program but couldn’t play.’
A tough regular season schedule with nine ranked opponents enabled SU to face the type of competition they would see during the NCAA tournament. And it paid off. The Orange had the eleventh best RPI in the nation.
SU would beat the fourth and fifth seeds of the tournament in Georgetown and James Madison respectively. SU lost twice to Georgetown prior to the NCAA tournament matchup, and turned the lessons they learned into a victory.
Syracuse surprised a lot of people, but on Friday they ran into an explosive Maryland team, a team that was not going to be taken down. But nevertheless, SU is convinced it already made its mark on the tournament.
‘We had a good run, traveling road warriors throughout the NCAA tournament,’ Gait said. ‘It was a good year for Syracuse lacrosse.’
Published on May 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm
