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The Daily OrangeWLAX | Scratched: Top-seed Northwestern ousts Syracuse from Tourney; SU ends season 13-6
By Joel Godett
Posted: 6/5/07, 12:54 AM EST Section: Sports
MAY 20: EVANSTON, Ill. - It started the same as last weekend. Against Vanderbilt, the Syracuse women's lacrosse team lost the game's opening draw and found quickly itself in a 2-0 hole.
The difference last week was the Orange climbed out.
Saturday marked SU's first ever appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals, having picked up its first NCAA tournament win last weekend with a 16-10 victory over the Commodores.
The reward for doing so: a date with top-seeded Northwestern. And the Wildcats were ready, knocking off SU, 14-9, in front of 698 in Evanston, Ill.
The tournament's top four seeds-Northwestern, Duke, Virginia, Pennsylvania-comprise next weekend's Final Four at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Meredith Frank opened the scoring for Northwestern less than three minutes into the game and added another less than two minutes later. NU then added another, and another and another, and with 12 minutes gone by Syracuse trailed 5-1.
But the Orange was relentless. SU ripped back with a 4-0 run, capped off by back-to-back goals from sophomore Meg Mosenson. It seemed momentum might be swinging, especially heading into halftime, when sophomore goalie Amber Pardee-Hill stoned a one-on-one doorstep shot with two seconds before the break. The save kept it a one goal, 7-6, deficit, but Orange coach Lisa Miller never felt her team was in power.
"I feel like I'm in control as a team when you are possessing the draw control," Miller said. "Northwestern's offense is very good and very balanced and if your not possession the draw control you're giving them too many opportunities. As a team you're giving them the opportunity to beat you."
SU never controlled the draw, its blatant Achilles heal the last few games. The Wildcats won 17-of-25 draws, including 11-of-14 in the first half.
The absence of freshman Lindsay Roger didn't help the draw situation. The Rochester native dominated the draws in last week's win, but took only a handful Saturday, scratched from the starting lineup with food poisoning. In Rogers' stead was a compellation of players that included senior Chelsea Strodel, sophomore Bridget Hamm and freshman Christina Dove, who'd handled the duties for much of the season.
The difference last week was the Orange climbed out.
Saturday marked SU's first ever appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals, having picked up its first NCAA tournament win last weekend with a 16-10 victory over the Commodores.
The reward for doing so: a date with top-seeded Northwestern. And the Wildcats were ready, knocking off SU, 14-9, in front of 698 in Evanston, Ill.
The tournament's top four seeds-Northwestern, Duke, Virginia, Pennsylvania-comprise next weekend's Final Four at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Meredith Frank opened the scoring for Northwestern less than three minutes into the game and added another less than two minutes later. NU then added another, and another and another, and with 12 minutes gone by Syracuse trailed 5-1.
But the Orange was relentless. SU ripped back with a 4-0 run, capped off by back-to-back goals from sophomore Meg Mosenson. It seemed momentum might be swinging, especially heading into halftime, when sophomore goalie Amber Pardee-Hill stoned a one-on-one doorstep shot with two seconds before the break. The save kept it a one goal, 7-6, deficit, but Orange coach Lisa Miller never felt her team was in power.
"I feel like I'm in control as a team when you are possessing the draw control," Miller said. "Northwestern's offense is very good and very balanced and if your not possession the draw control you're giving them too many opportunities. As a team you're giving them the opportunity to beat you."
SU never controlled the draw, its blatant Achilles heal the last few games. The Wildcats won 17-of-25 draws, including 11-of-14 in the first half.
The absence of freshman Lindsay Roger didn't help the draw situation. The Rochester native dominated the draws in last week's win, but took only a handful Saturday, scratched from the starting lineup with food poisoning. In Rogers' stead was a compellation of players that included senior Chelsea Strodel, sophomore Bridget Hamm and freshman Christina Dove, who'd handled the duties for much of the season.
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