No. 8 Syracuse (4-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) finished its two-game homestand by losing, 18-11, to No. 5 Maryland (5-1) in the Carrier Dome on Sunday afternoon. The two teams entered the game as the top-two scoring offenses in the country but both failed to get going early. Eventually, UMD kicked it into a higher gear while SU sputtered.

Here are three takeaways from the blowout.

Don’t call it a rivalry

Taylor Gait charged down the field and tried to swing momentum in the Orange’s favor. The Orange trailed by one in the first half and goalie Asa Goldstock had just made a free-position save on the other end. Before SU could get settled in its offense, Gait was swarmed by a pair of black jerseys and turned it over.

Moments later, Gait watched as Taylor Hensh notched one of her four goals and set Maryland up for its 11th-straight win over Syracuse.

Earlier this week, Gait stood in one of the Carrier Dome end zones and counted down the days till SU’s matchup against UMD. She said the contest was marked on the calendars of many SU players. Her five seasons and zero wins against the Terrapins is emblematic of the history between two storied programs.

Maryland beats Syracuse. Always.

The Terrapins now own a 22-1 (8-0 in the Carrier Dome) series advantage over the Orange. UMD outplayed SU in every facet of the game on Sunday afternoon. It led in free-position goals (5-1), shots (33-25) and draw controls (22-8).

In the preseason, senior captain Riley Donahue said that hosting Maryland could boost the Orange’s chances. It didn’t.

Drawn off

SU’s bench was silent after Maryland rattled off three-straight goals to start the second half.

That is, until freshman Sam Swart finished off a give-and-go with Donahue while falling and cut the deficit to six goals. The SU bench perked up. It got louder when Molly Carter scored a minute later.

Just when it seemed that the Orange would get an extended run, UMD’s 5-foot-7 draw control specialist Meghan Siverson out-jumped the 6-foot-1 Julie Cross and earned Maryland a possession. Brindi Griffin scored shortly after. The next two draws were repeats and Maryland scored again, extending its lead to seven, then eight.

Maryland won the game’s first five draws and finished the game with 22 to SU’s eight. Syracuse hasn’t adjusted to the new draw control rules in the 2018 season. It’s only controlled the faceoff X for a whole game once this season, 16-14, against Oregon on Feb. 18. The season-ending knee injury to Morgan Widner two weeks ago only made the task more daunting for the Orange. UMD, however, entered the contest tied for first in the nation in draw controls per game (18) and exploited a hapless Syracuse.

The Orange tried both Cross and sophomore Kerry Defliese to stop the bleeding, but neither could provide the consistency that SU has lacked all year.

“Sweet Caroline”

Maryland junior attack Caroline Steele entered the game with 11 goals, behind just Megan Whittle and Jen Giles. On Sunday, Steele led the visitors with five goals and two assists. She scored from out wide, up close and at the eight-meter. In the stands, a Terrapin fan led a sing-along of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” that scored the celebration.

Luck was also on Steele’s side. Her first free-position shot was deflected in the air by Goldstock and bounced between the sophomore goaltender and in the net. Goldstock saw the ball but only after it was too late.

In the first half, Steele topped off a well-designed play out to give Maryland a 6-2 lead. UMD recognized SU’s man-to-man defense and flooded the right side of the field. Griffin was the only player on the other end and worked behind the cage. She darted in front of Goldstock as Steele looped around and ran towards the ball.

Griffin set a screen, flipped the ball to Steele and watched her finish her second score of the game. Neil Diamond’s hit rang through the Dome again.

The Orange knew coming into the game that the key to stopping Maryland was to neutralize its top scorer: Whittle. A senior attack, she entered the game with 23 goals in five contests and passed three-time Tewaaraton Award winner Taylor Cummings last week in Maryland’s scoring record books. Last season, Whittle scored seven as UMD dismantled the Orange, 17-7.

Whittle was limited to three points before adding two more in garbage time, but that wasn’t enough to stop Maryland.

Published on March 11, 2018 at 3:46 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez