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The Daily OrangeWLAX | Defender Rogers provides spark for SU in victory
By Christopher James
Posted: 5/11/08, 8:16 PM EST Section: Sports
May 11, 8:16 p.m. -- With the score tied at two 11 minutes into Sunday's first round NCAA tournament game, Syracuse defender Lindsay Rogers blew by a Towson attacker to scoop up a ground ball in the Syracuse zone.
The sophomore didn't stop, rocketing the length of the field, weaving past defender after defender. Two passes later, the ball was in the back of the net and No. 5 Syracuse had a lead it wouldn't relinquish in a 21-9 win in front of 568 at the Carrier Dome.
SU had traded goals with the same team it led 11-0 when the teams played earlier in the season, on March 19. Then, Rogers seemed to inject fresh energy into an Orange team that had gotten off to a sluggish start.
"Sometimes you just run as fast as you can and keep your head up and look for open passes," Rogers said.
Rogers didn't waste any time getting back to work. On the ensuing draw control, it was Rogers who scooped up the ball and sprinted into the Towson zone. Another three passes, and Syracuse had taken a 4-2 lead off a Halley Quillinan goal. The two goals, coming less than 40 seconds apart, sparked a seven goal streak that put the game out of reach.
Senior attack Kristin Brady said the spurt from Rogers finally allowed the Orange to settle in.
"It was great to get up the field safely," Brady said. "I think Lindsay always gives our team energy whether it's the draws she gets or caused turnovers or ground balls."
Towson coach Missy Doherty said she was pleased at how her team played. While the game appeared close statistically, once momentum swung SU's way it was hard for the Tigers to string positive plays together. In a matter of moments, an errant pass and Rogers' clear had turned a Towson possession near the cage into a Syracuse goal 80 yards down the field.
"Through the course of the first half both teams were getting those sort of plays," Doherty said. "But once they started scoring and we would go down and miss the cage or just take a bad shot, the momentum really starts to swing the other way."
For Syracuse coach Gary Gait, Rogers' clear may have been a typical play, but it did inject life into a game that seemed tight at the start. Both Gait and Brady said they expected Towson to come out tougher than they had the first time around, a 22-5 Orange win earlier in the season.
"The hustle on it was great," Gait said. "And the effort, I think that energizes people, but as a coach a clear is a clear. A little boost of energy just seeing that type of effort. I was happy to get the ball down and be ready to play. That's our focus."
That fresh energy gave SU its first significant lead of the day, and the Big East champions never looked back, picking up their second ever NCAA tournament win.
Said Rogers: "We just needed to get the lead and take control of what we know how to take control of."
chjames@syr.edu
The sophomore didn't stop, rocketing the length of the field, weaving past defender after defender. Two passes later, the ball was in the back of the net and No. 5 Syracuse had a lead it wouldn't relinquish in a 21-9 win in front of 568 at the Carrier Dome.
SU had traded goals with the same team it led 11-0 when the teams played earlier in the season, on March 19. Then, Rogers seemed to inject fresh energy into an Orange team that had gotten off to a sluggish start.
"Sometimes you just run as fast as you can and keep your head up and look for open passes," Rogers said.
Rogers didn't waste any time getting back to work. On the ensuing draw control, it was Rogers who scooped up the ball and sprinted into the Towson zone. Another three passes, and Syracuse had taken a 4-2 lead off a Halley Quillinan goal. The two goals, coming less than 40 seconds apart, sparked a seven goal streak that put the game out of reach.
Senior attack Kristin Brady said the spurt from Rogers finally allowed the Orange to settle in.
"It was great to get up the field safely," Brady said. "I think Lindsay always gives our team energy whether it's the draws she gets or caused turnovers or ground balls."
Towson coach Missy Doherty said she was pleased at how her team played. While the game appeared close statistically, once momentum swung SU's way it was hard for the Tigers to string positive plays together. In a matter of moments, an errant pass and Rogers' clear had turned a Towson possession near the cage into a Syracuse goal 80 yards down the field.
"Through the course of the first half both teams were getting those sort of plays," Doherty said. "But once they started scoring and we would go down and miss the cage or just take a bad shot, the momentum really starts to swing the other way."
For Syracuse coach Gary Gait, Rogers' clear may have been a typical play, but it did inject life into a game that seemed tight at the start. Both Gait and Brady said they expected Towson to come out tougher than they had the first time around, a 22-5 Orange win earlier in the season.
"The hustle on it was great," Gait said. "And the effort, I think that energizes people, but as a coach a clear is a clear. A little boost of energy just seeing that type of effort. I was happy to get the ball down and be ready to play. That's our focus."
That fresh energy gave SU its first significant lead of the day, and the Big East champions never looked back, picking up their second ever NCAA tournament win.
Said Rogers: "We just needed to get the lead and take control of what we know how to take control of."
chjames@syr.edu
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