Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFamiliar mistakes cost Syracuse women's lacrosse team another game against UVa
By Didier Morais
Posted: 3/2/09, 1:54 AM EST Section: Sports
"It's definitely something we as seniors were thinking about going into the game," Rowan said. "We wanted to beat Virginia, but we just didn't come today and play our game."
Despite allowing the Cavaliers to take a considerable lead, SU surged right back, cutting the deficit to two goals with 15 minutes remaining. But that was the closest it would get for Gait's squad.
Each time Syracuse inched closer to Virginia, the Cavaliers would respond with a momentum-shattering score. And like last season, Virginia strung together three clutch goals in the last nine minutes of the game, essentially ending SU's hopes at victory in repeat fashion.
The comparable second-half schemes weren't constructed by design. Virginia head coach Julie Myers rarely referred to last year's game-planning tactics in preparing for this year's Top 5 meeting.
"We didn't really look at last year," Myers said. "We look at the players we have on this team, the things that we do well, and try to bring out each other's strengths given this year's team. A lot of players were there last year, so hopefully they're a little bit more experienced, a little better and more accurate."
That extra year of improvement and maturity showed. The same players that hammered Syracuse in 2008 plagued it in 2009. Virginia midfielder Ashley McCulloch, who accumulated a game-high four points in the previous match, finished with a game-high seven points in this victory.
Even Gait acknowledged that the Cavaliers' performance noticeably nullified his studies in the film room.
"There's not a whole lot you can do when they're not making any mistakes and finishing their shots," Gait said. "We took some risks, we went out and pressured. They answered and finished on their opportunities."
dsmorais@syr.edu
Despite allowing the Cavaliers to take a considerable lead, SU surged right back, cutting the deficit to two goals with 15 minutes remaining. But that was the closest it would get for Gait's squad.
Each time Syracuse inched closer to Virginia, the Cavaliers would respond with a momentum-shattering score. And like last season, Virginia strung together three clutch goals in the last nine minutes of the game, essentially ending SU's hopes at victory in repeat fashion.
The comparable second-half schemes weren't constructed by design. Virginia head coach Julie Myers rarely referred to last year's game-planning tactics in preparing for this year's Top 5 meeting.
"We didn't really look at last year," Myers said. "We look at the players we have on this team, the things that we do well, and try to bring out each other's strengths given this year's team. A lot of players were there last year, so hopefully they're a little bit more experienced, a little better and more accurate."
That extra year of improvement and maturity showed. The same players that hammered Syracuse in 2008 plagued it in 2009. Virginia midfielder Ashley McCulloch, who accumulated a game-high four points in the previous match, finished with a game-high seven points in this victory.
Even Gait acknowledged that the Cavaliers' performance noticeably nullified his studies in the film room.
"There's not a whole lot you can do when they're not making any mistakes and finishing their shots," Gait said. "We took some risks, we went out and pressured. They answered and finished on their opportunities."
dsmorais@syr.edu
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