In Gary Gait’s six seasons as head coach of Syracuse women’s lacrosse, he’s accomplished quite a bit. In fact, his resume is more polished than any coach in program history.

A national championship appearance. Three more in the semifinals. One in the quarters. He’s won the Big East regular season title five times and the conference tournament twice.

During his tenure, Syracuse has won 94 games and lost only 31.

But when Gait stood in front of a pack of reporters after SU’s first practice on Friday, none of that mattered. This season, there is only one goal.

“It’s national championship or bust,” Gait said. “We’re playing for the same thing every year, and that’s to win the national
championship.”

With its move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Syracuse’s road to a national championship won’t be an easy one — but it’s not out of the question for the Orange. SU comes into the season ranked No. 3 in Lacrosse Magazine’s Preseason Poll. It reached the Final Four last season, and returns most of the scoring talent from a team that ranked second in the nation in goals per game.

Gait said the SU’s strength is in its experience, noting the strong senior midfield and rising sophomore class.

“They want it bad and they’re willing to put the work in and they’ve proven it up to this date,” Gait said. “I think they’re confident, excited and they’re on a mission. We’re looking forward to watching them.”

Alyssa Murray, the fourth-ranked scorer in program history, returns for her final season alongside sophomore Kayla Treanor, and juniors Kailah Kempney and Devon Collins. The quartet made up four of the team’s top five scorers in 2013.

One of the newcomers that Gait said will make a difference is Taylor Poplawski, a freshman attack from Christian Brothers Academy. He noted that she’ll have a role, but won’t necessarily be relied upon because of the team’s depth.

“She’s stepping into a group that has a lot of experience and a lot of starting experience,” Gait said. “She’ll be lucky where she’ll be able to play a role, and ease herself into it.

“She’s going to get out there and show us what she can do.”

In the past, SU has regularly scheduled teams like No. 2 Maryland and No. 7 Virginia, but its ACC schedule will also feature No. 1 North Carolina and No. 6 Duke.

Murray argued, though, that the stiff competition isn’t new to the Orange.

“We were playing Maryland, we were playing Virginia, those sort of teams every year,” Murray said. “So I don’t think it’ll change our schedule, like the kind of teams that we’re playing that much.”

When asked if she expected the team to make final four this season, Murray chuckled and said she expects nothing less than a national championship.

No SU women’s team has ever achieved that goal. And because there is no professional women’s lacrosse league, this is the seniors’ last chance to win a championship — a fact that isn’t lost on Murray’s classmates.

“It’s just weird because we’ve been playing it all of our lives,” senior goalkeeper Alyssa Costantino said. “Life’s just going to be different not being able to play competitively anymore.”

For SU, there is no looking back to last season and no looking too far into the future.

It’s all about 2014 and there’s only one way to define success.

“We have to take it one day at a time and think about the little things,” Murray said. “But national championship is the bigger picture obviously and the ultimate goal.”

Published on January 15, 2014 at 1:26 am

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3