No matter how Syracuse prepared for Maryland, seemingly nothing would have mattered. The Terrapins have always gotten the best of SU, and playing the defending national champions this early in the season didn’t help the Orange.

SU head coach Gary Gait insisted that SU fell victim Sunday because Maryland did what it always does: dominate and force Syracuse to become the worst version of itself. SU needed to regroup after all the mistakes it made.

But SU assistant coach Regy Thorpe said the solution lies within the problem.

“Our players are really taking ownership and watching the film,” Thorpe said. “We’ve been good in the past, but this year they’re really working it.”

No. 9 Syracuse (5-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) uses film sessions to help grow throughout the year. While film has always been an asset for Syracuse, players say the increased emphasis on watching it individually has led to more success. While a tough early season schedule caused Syracuse to “run out of gas,” Gait said following the Orange’s lopsided loss to Maryland, the Orange now has advanced tape to learn from.

“If they want to get good, they want to get better,” Gait said, “they’re going to have to put the time and work in.”

The tool is something that gives Syracuse the edge over most programs. Gait claims that SU is the only women’s lacrosse program in the country that has its own film room. Starting goalkeeper Asa Goldstock referred to the place where the Orange watch film as the “auditorium.”

SU takes advantage, holding multiple hour-long sessions a week as a team where they go over film. Gait said after the Virginia loss in the midst of Syracuse’s three-game week, SU watched film “four to five” times, with players filling the rest of the void individually.

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The film sessions have focused on many of SU’s biggest problems. A notable one is the draw. Sophomore attack Emily Hawryschuk said she noticed Julie Cross puts a big emphasis on watching film to adapt to her new role.

While the team screenings remain important, the individual sessions may be even more vital to success, Goldstock said. Every SU player has a login to crossover.com, where they watch and learn from film and see things they did poorly in previous games.

Hawryschuk makes use of the “filter” tool to search for moments of the game within a game tape. On the site, which Hawryschuk said has all of the games archived, players can search for their names and look at individual plays. She uses the tool to break down opposing teams’ goals against a future SU opponent. This gives her a better idea of how the defenses play and what holes she’d be able to attack to help her score in games. That’s something she’s excelled at this year, leading SU in scoring with 10 so far.

“It’s a tool that’s out there,” Hawryschuk said. “If you take pride in the game, then you take the time to watch it.”

The film habits have also benefited Goldstock. In the preseason, the sophomore reflected on her freshman year, which was plagued by mistakes. In 22 games last year, she turned the ball over 29 times (1.32 per game), SU’s second-highest total.

But this year, those mistakes have nearly vanished. In seven games this season, including three against Top 10 teams, she has turned the ball over twice without losing any of her aggressive tendencies to push the ball up the field following a save. While experiencing newfound success, Goldstock has constantly mentioned film as a big part of her offseason regimen.

“There’s the tiniest little things that you can fix,” Goldstock said. “As much as it hurts sometimes, it’s good to watch.”

During the week, Goldstock said she tries to watch about an hour of film a day, increasing that number to two hours the day before SU plays. She prefers the individual sessions to better hone in on the plays of interest to her, but she also watches with SU’s “core defenders.” The group members offer feedback to one another and point out things Goldstock may have missed on her own.

While watching film is nothing new for Syracuse, this year the Orange seems to have put an emphasis on creating an advantage with it.

“There’s so much you can learn from film,” Goldstock said. “It’s the biggest asset in sports.”

Published on March 19, 2018 at 8:08 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary