Liz Harbeson sat perched atop her teammates’ shoulders, grinning from ear to ear as she was carted off the field. 

Moments earlier, it was her interception of Loyola (Md.) goalie Molly Wolf, and subsequent score – the first of the senior’s career – that gave Syracuse the separation it needed in overtime of a game where no lead appeared safe.

“I think I had the biggest smile on my face,” an out-of-breath Harbeson said. “I didn’t know what to do.” 

In a game marred by turnovers and blown leads, it was No. 2 Syracuse (18-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast) that captured the momentum last. SU scored three goals in the final five minutes to tie the game, and two in overtime to win it, 14-12, over the No. 11 Greyhounds (15-5, 8-0 Patriot) in front of 781 at the Carrier Dome on Senior Day. 

The Orange saw an early five-goal lead turn into a three-goal deficit, only to pull off five straight of its own to win the regular season finale. 

“The experience was nice,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “To be challenged, to be down, to know that we can come back.

“That was more valuable than probably winning the game.” 

Taylor Poplawski’s running shot into the bottom right corner of the cage was Syracuse’s third goal in a span of just three minutes to make the score 6-1. The Orange looked likely to brush away Loyola. 

But as the Greyhounds chipped away at Syracuse’s lead, the once-fluid Syracuse offense became stagnant. Quick, fruitful possessions turned into slow, deliberate and ultimately unsuccessful ones. 

“We made a lot of mistakes that we wouldn’t normally make,” Gait said. “Especially for playoff lacrosse if you go into the playoffs and you have a lack of communication. 

“Those things I think are a little bit of a lack of preparation and focus.”

As the Loyola offense found its groove, so too did the visitors’ defense. Wolf made eight saves in the first half to keep the Greyhounds in the game. Late in the half, with Syracuse holding a 7-4 lead, she made three consecutive saves on one possession. When Loyola got the ball back, she banged her stick against the post.

A free-position conversion from Ali Habict just over eight minutes into the second half tied the score at seven, and completely erased the lead. 

After two Syracuse scores in the span of just one minute, the Loyola defense held Syracuse empty-handed for more than 14 minutes. 

“I think that’s one thing that this team is, they’re very resilient. They don’t look at the scoreboard,” Loyola head coach Jen Adams said. “They keep fighting.” 

But as the final minutes ticked off the clock, it was the resilience of the Syracuse team that set the tone for the final result. After Murray scored twice, Syracuse had the ball with less than a minute to play, needing a score to force overtime. 

Treanor was fouled inside the eight-meter arc, earning a free-position with 45 seconds to play. She placed her shot past Wolf. 

In that instant, the previously silent Carrier Dome erupted. 

“We all came together and I kept saying ‘Next play, not last’,” Treanor said. “Just focusing on the next play and moving on, and just a team effort and coming back and trying to get the win.” 

Entering overtime, the Loyola fans gave their team a standing ovation. They were praying for one last momentum shift.

But it took Katie Webster just 46 seconds to give Syracuse the lead. After Harbeson’s steal and score with 1:52 left in the overtime period, the audible optimism disappeared. Wolf hung her head in anguish as SU players celebrated around her. 

“It’s just part of mental toughness,” Murray said. “It’s something we work on every day and I think there are people, especially on our team that show that every day, every game, really show moments of mental toughness.”

“We were able to regroup and put the goals away and get the stops when it counted.” 

Published on May 3, 2014 at 6:36 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3