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
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But after the Orange's 14-11 loss against Virginia Friday, Gait couldn't help but feel like he just pressed the replay button on all the film he studied, noticing the numerous similarities between last year's game and this season's defeat.
The mishaps on draw controls, the loss of possession, the missed loose balls, the sputtering offense and junior Halley Quillinan's yellow card all reminded Gait and the Orange players of images from last year's post-intermission demise.
"A little bit," Gait said, when asked if the loss reminded him the previous matchup. "Not quite as bad. We just couldn't come up with those draw controls in the second half. We missed some loose balls it looked like we had. We went to scoop them, but just missed them. We just didn't finish the game. Those types of things reminded me of last year."
Going into halftime, the scene resembled last year's outlook. The score was at an impasse. Katie Rowan, Christina Dove and Quillinan all had productive first halves, combining to compile a majority of SU's goals. And both teams needed a favorable second-half showing if it expected to break away from its counterpart.
For the second consecutive year, Virginia jumped out to a quick lead, netting the first four goals of the second half and swiftly seceding itself from Syracuse. Despite all the studying, Gait started to relive last year's nightmare.
"The second half, we definitely could've come out more focused, ready to go and just going after all the loose balls," Rowan said. "We didn't have much possession on offense like we normally do."
For Rowan, this regular-season loss carries more weight than any other. The senior attack potentially squandered her last opportunity to beat arch-rival Virginia. During her four-year tenure at SU, Rowan, along with the other seniors on the team, has never savored a victory against the Cavaliers.
Last year, Bridget Looney's injury played a vital role in the Orange's inability to beat the Cavaliers. This time around, Syracuse had no excuse and lost playing at full strength, eliciting feelings of distress from the Orange seniors.
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