Syracuse Slows Down Maryland, but No. 1 Terps Win 7-5
by Clare Lochary | LaxMagazine.com | Replay of Live Blog
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - As their teammates slowly
dispersed following a 7-5 loss to Maryland, Syracuse senior goalie
Liz Hogan poked a finger at the darkening bruise on Alyssa
Murray’s left shoulder. The freshman midfielder winced in
pain and then laughed. Hogan does this a lot.
“Gotta toughen her up,” said Hogan in a faux-serious
tone.
Murray seems pretty tough already. The rookie went toe to toe with
Terps star Karri Ellen Johnson on the draw and was a key piece of
an extreme slow-down offense that got the No. 12 Orange within
striking distance of an upset versus the No. 1 Terps (7-0).
Syracuse, coming off a 2010 final four run, has stumbled to a 1-3
start. But the loss to Maryland was their best game to date, and an
important step for a team that starts six underclassmen, including
freshman Katie Webster (2g), the Orange’s go-to shooter.
“This was a tremendous game as far as experience. Today was
huge for them,” said head coach Gary Gait.
The Orange’s last outing was disastrous – a 21-11 loss
to No. 7 Virginia, a game marred by the most goals allowed in
program history, five yellow cards and general chaos. The Maryland
game was an exercise in discipline.
A slow-down game is what almost all opponents try against the
high-scoring Terps; it hardly ever works because Maryland's ride is
so tough, and endless passing gets frustrating for the offense. But
the Orange played with ice in their veins, rarely giving in to the
temptation to make a sloppy pass or take a cheap shot. Defensively
the Terps averaged 17.5 goals per game before today; Syracuse held
them to just 20 shots and committed only 12 fouls.
“We wanted to make their middies play some defense so they
were less explosive on the offensive end,” said Gait.
Syracuse milked possessions for five, six, seven, even eight
minutes before attempting a shot. The Orange twice took a one-goal
lead early in the second half on goals from senior Catherine
Rodriguez (2g) and Webster, but Maryland quickly capitalized on
possessions to gain a 3-2 lead at 14:44 and never looked back.
“As an attacker, I was quite frustrated. We were a little
anxious but [Maryland head coach] Cathy [Reese] reiterated that we
needed to stay smart,” said Johnson.
In the end, the Syracuse slow down might have worked a little too
well – they dominated possession in the game’s final
minutes but worked too long to find high percentage shots instead
attacking the cage with more authority. Hogan (9 saves) held the
Terps to a season-low goal total, but Maryland edged the Orange in
most categories, winning ground balls (12-10), draw controls (8-6)
and turnovers (11-9).
“Any day you have more saves than goals versus Maryland,
that’s a pretty good day for a goalie,” said Gait.
Hogan, the defending IWCLA Goalie of the Year, is the emotional
leader for the young Orange.
“I always look to Liz on the field,” said Webster, who
leads the team with 11 goals thus far this season. “My nerves
have really subsided since the season began. I was less nervous
today than I was against Colgate in our opener.”
With a well-fought duel against the defending national
championship to its credit, Syracuse is focused on the future
rather than dwelling on missteps.
“The freshmen, they’ve barely been in the game yet, so
you’ve got to pump them up,” said Hogan. “You
gotta tell them what they’re doing right, not what
they’re doing wrong.”
The Orange will play five more road games, including match-ups
with Northwestern and Florida, before returning to the Carrier Dome
to host their first conference game versus UConn on April 8.
“We’re not even into Big East play yet,” said
Murray of her team’s prospects. “We’re just
getting started.”
