No. 13 Syracuse Hosts Top-Ranked, Defending Champ Northwestern Friday Night
3/30/2006 4:00:42 PM | Women's Lacrosse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The No. 13 Orange (7-2) welcomes the top team in the land to the Carrier Dome on Friday, March 31, when No. 1 Northwestern visits the Carrier Dome for a 7:00 p.m. contest. The Wildcats are a perfect 8-0 this season and have won 29-consecutive games dating back to last year. SU hosted No. 1 Virginia in 2005, which was also the defending national champion, and lost 15-7.
No. 13 Orange Hosts Defending National Champion Northwestern
No. 13 Syracuse hosts the defending national champion and top-ranked Northwestern on Friday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. The Orange is 0-4 all-time against No. 1 teams and is 0-6 all-time against defending national champions.
SU won the only matchup between the two teams on April 3, 2003. The Orange dominated the Wildcats at the Dome for a 14-3 victory.
SU Against The Best
Syracuse has had some experience facing the top teams in the nation in the past. SU is 0-4 all-time against No. 1 teams, most recently losing to Virginia last season at the Carrier Dome, 15-7. The previous three times the Orange faced the best team in the country, it was against Maryland in 1999, 2000, and 2001. The closest decision came in 2001 when SU lost 11-7 at Maryland.
Against defending national champions, the Orange is 0-6 all-time. Syracuse squared off against Maryland every year between 1998-2002, going 0-5 in those contests. The Terrapins won seven-consecutive national titles from 1995-2001. The Virginia Cavaliers came to the Dome last season after winning the 2004 national championship and came away with a 15-7 triumph.
The highest ranked team that Syracuse has ever beaten was No. 2 Dartmouth on May 6, 2000 at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won that contest 18-9. This season, SU toppled No. 3 Dartmouth, 11-10 in overtime.
Last Time Out
Freshman Kathryn Rowan and junior Gaddy Fortune combined for eight goals as the No. 13 Orange defeated Albany, 17-5, on March 28 at the Carrier Dome. Graduate student Caitlyn Dragon contributed with four points and senior Evelyn Long recorded her first career hat trick in the win.
Rowan and Fortune both posted four goals while Rowan added two assists to notch six points for the second-straight game. Dragon had two goals and two assists. Junior Jill DePetris and sophomore Kristin Brady both added a goal and an assist. Senior Jen Kasel stopped 10 shots, her third-consecutive game with double-digit saves.
The Orange outshot the Great Danes 37-17 in the game and held a 39-30 advantage in ground balls. Syracuse only had 11 turnovers compared to Albany’s 20.
SU improved its record to 4-0 against the Great Danes and 20-4 all-time against Empire State opponents. The Orange held its fourth-straight opponent under 10 goals, the first time that has happened in the same season since 2003. The defense held Albany scoreless for a span of 28:15, the second-longest span this season.
The Syracuse-Northwestern Series
This is just the second meeting between the two teams, with the Orange taking the first meeting in 2003, 14-3.
Syracuse vs. Northwestern Series Information
All-Time Series SU 1-0
First Meeting May 3, 2003 (Syracuse 14, Northwestern 3)
Last Meeting See first meeting
Current Streak: SU 1
Scouting The Wildcats
Northwestern is a perfect 8-0 this season and has won 29-straight overall. The Wildcats have beaten No. 9 Maryland, No. 16 Hofstra, and Penn and Stanford when they were both ranked No. 18. Northwestern is averaging 17.38 goals per game and give up just 7.00. The Wildcats hold large advantages in shots (36.0-19.2), assists (75-28), draw controls (126-76), and free-position goals (15-31 to 3-27) against their opponents. The roster features three student-athletes with over 30 points, including two with over 40. Kristen Kjellman, a candidate for the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Division I 25th Anniversary Team, leads the way with 30 goals and 16 assists. Lindsey Munday has 22 goals and 22 helpers, while Laura Glassanos has posted 23 goals and 12 assists. The Wildcats boast four student-athletes on the Tewaaraton Watch List as Kjellman, Munday, Sarah Albrecht, and Glassanos are on the list. Northwestern is the top scoring offense in the land and has three student-athletes in the top-10 in scoring.
Kasel and Rowan Named To BIG EAST Honor Roll
Senior Jen Kasel and freshman Kathryn Rowan have both been selected to the BIG EAST Honor Roll, announced Monday by the conference office. Kasel was credited with 11 saves in SU’s 13-7 win against Connecticut while Rowan posted three goals and three assists.
Kasel, last week’s BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, continued her impressive goaltending against UConn. She anchored the Syracuse defense that allowed just one UConn goal in the second half on Sunday. The Huskies were held scoreless for a span of 25:58 while the Orange scored six-straight goals to seal the win. It was the second-longest length of time this season that an opponent was held without a goal.
In the five weeks of the Honor Roll being selected, this is Rowan’s third appearance. The only other student-athlete in the BIG EAST to earn three spots on the Honor Roll is Kate McHarg of Loyola. Rowan’s three assists and six points were both new career highs in leading the Orange to victory. With the score tied 6-6 heading into the second half, she had a hand in three of the Orange’s next four goals to give SU a 10-6 lead. She assisted junior Jill DePetris on Syracuse’s seventh goal that put the Orange up for good and added two more of her own. It was Rowan’s fifth hat trick of the season, a team best.
Defending The Kasel
In the last three games, senior Jen Kasel has stopped 10 or more shots to lead the Orange to a four-game winning streak. She saved 15 shots against Towson on March 19 to record her season-best. She followed that up with 11 saves against UConn and then 10 against Albany.
Kasel has stopped 10 or more shots in three-straight games twice before, once in 2005 and again in 2004. In 2004, Kasel ended the season saving 10 or more shots in seven of the Orange’s last eight games. That stretch included a career-best of four-consecutive games with 10 or more saves, the last four games of the season.
No Place Like Dome
The Orange has been dominant at the Carrier Dome since the program began in 1998. In its inaugural season, SU went a perfect 5-0 at the Loud House. It lost just one game in three different seasons (1999, 2003, and 2005). The Orange owns a 57-14 all-time record at home and 11 of its losses came against top-10 teams.
Stingy Defense
The SU defense has gone four-straight games without allowing 10 goals. The last time an Orange defensive unit went four-consecutive games without giving up 10 goals was in the 2003 season. UMass and UConn were both a part of that streak as well.
The defense’s most recent stinginess came against Albany on March 28. The defense held Albany scoreless for a span of 28:15, the second-longest span this season. SU scored seven goals during that stretch to take an insurmountable 8-1 lead against the Great Danes.
The defense also came up big for the Orange against Connecticut on March 26. After allowing the sixth Husky goal at the 3:05 mark in the first half, the back line did not allow another goal until there was 7:07 left to go in the game. UConn was held scoreless for 25:58, the third-longest scoring drought for an SU opponent this season. The longest the defense has held without allowing a goal is 47:19 against Binghamton on March 7. In the 7-5 win against Towson, the Tigers could not find the back of the net for 24:36.
Fire Starter
Syracuse scored quickly in each half against Albany on March 28. Gaddy Fortune started the scoring when she put a shot in the net 40 seconds into the game. That was the quickest goal scored by SU in a game since Caitlyn Dragon notched one 28 seconds in at Harvard on March 16 of last season.
Dragon started the scoring in the second half just 25 seconds in against the Great Danes. That was the fastest goal scored in any half since April 30, 2005, when Dragon notched a goal 22 seconds into the second half against Notre Dame.
New York State of Mind
Since the program’s start in 1998, Syracuse has proven itself as the the top lacrosse team in the state of New York. Against in-state opponents, the Orange owns a 20-4 record, with all four losses coming against Cornell. SU still owns a winning record against the Big Red at 5-4. Syracuse is undefeated against Albany, Binghamton, Colgate, and Siena. SU has beaten Colgate the most with an 8-0 record against them.
March Madness
The 2006 schedule features 11 home games, which is the most since SU played 11 at home in 2001. The Orange went 10-5 that season. SU also hosts seven-consecutive home games in the month of March, which will be the longest home stand in the program’s nine-year history.
SU’S Most Lopsided Wins
The win against Binghamton on March 7 was one of the most lopsided in school history. The Orange beat the Bearcats 21-2. The largest margin of victory came in the program’s first year of existence when it beat Connecticut 20-0 in 1998. That same season, SU topped Siena 19-0 and Albany 23-4. SU has outscored opponents by 19 four times.
Freshmen Leading The Way
The Orange freshman class has made an immediate impact in SU’s first seven games. Megan Mosenson and Kathryn Rowan have had a hand in 50 of Syracuse’s 115 goals, which is 43 percent. As a class, the freshmen have accounted for 39 percent of the team’s points.
Rowan leads the team with 33 points on 27 goals and six assists. Mosenson is fourth on the team with 17 points. She has registered 13 goals and four assists.
Three Orange rookies tallied their first career goals against Binghamton on March 7. Maggie Martin and Allison Smuts both notched a pair of goals in the 21-2 triumph. Bridget Hamm also got on the board with a goal of her own.
Dragon A Steady Force
Caitlyn Dragon avenged SU’s loss to Dartmouth in the NCAA Tournament last year when she tossed a shot with one second left in overtime past the Big Green goalkeeper on Feb. 27. The game-winner gave Syracuse a thrilling 11-10 win over No. 3 in the nation.
Dragon, who is currently enrolled at graduate school at Syracuse, is third on the team with 15 goals and 20 points.
Last season, the Jackson, N.J. product finished fifth on the all-time single-season ledger with 40 goals and 55 points. Her 15 assists ranks ninth all-time in a single season. Dragon missed the 2003 season and earned a medical redshirt for the time she missed.
Going into last year, Dragon had compiled just seven goals in her previous three years. She played in just 15 games from 2002-2004. Last season, she played in 16 of the Orange’s 17 games. For her efforts, she was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Dragon also earned IWLCA/US Lacrosse Division 1 North All-Region First Team honors and was named a third-team All-American. This season, she earned Preseason All-BIG EAST honors.
DePetris Always There
Junior Jill DePetris leads the team with seven assists this season, with three of them coming in SU’s thrilling overtime win against Dartmouth. She totaled only seven helpers the entire 2005 season. DePetris also leads the team with 16 caused turnovers and 29 ground balls. She posted her first hat trick of the season as she scored three times against Binghamton on March 7. She has totaled eight goals on the year. DePetris has started every game since her arrival on campus, beginning all 41 of the games she played in since 2004.
DePetris was also named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after earning second-team All-BIG EAST honors last year. In 2005, she started all 17 games and recorded 18 goals and seven assists. She also led the team in ground balls with 36. Her 18 goals topped her 2004 total by one.
Good Fortune
Junior Gaddy Fortune has provided the Orange with a lot offense this season. So far, she has totaled 24 goals and two assists and her 26 points is second on the team. In 15 games played last year, she compiled just 10 goals. She has also totaled 18 ground balls, eight draw controls, and nine caused turnovers.
Against Binghamton on March 7, Fortune had the game of her career as she totaled five goals and six points, both career bests.
With :01 Left, Dragon Delivers
Senior Caitlyn Dragon scored with one second remaining on the clock in overtime to lead No. 13 Syracuse to an 11-10 victory against No. 3 Dartmouth on Feb. 27 at the Carrier Dome. The Big Green scored with 17 seconds left in overtime to tie the game before Dragon tallied the game winner.
Junior Chelsea Strodel secured the draw control with just six seconds left. Strodel then found classmate Jill DePetris who found an open Dragon right in front of the net. Dragon turned and fired a shot past the Dartmouth goalkeeper to push SU to the win.
Dragon finished the game with three goals and freshman Megan Mosenson also tallied a hat trick and assisted on another goal. Freshman Kathryn Rowan notched two goals for the Orange. DePetris had three assists, including the game-winner. Senior goalkeeper Jen Kasel saved 10 shots for SU in the win.
Singing A Melody
Senior Melody Agnew, a native of Winchester, Mass., couldn’t help but let her teammates score a year ago. She compiled 25 assists in 2005, the second-highest single-season total in school history. She also added 16 goals as she started all 17 games, which placed her third on the team in scoring. Kim Wayne is the only other student-athlete in Orange history who has amassed more assists in a season. She notched 25 helpers in 2003, and holds the record for assists in a season with 33 in 2002.
Agnew, who was held scoreless in the Orange’s first three games, broke out against Binghamton on March 7. She notched five assists, all in the first half, to lead SU to victory. That number is tied for second for the most assists in a game in the country this season. The assist total set a new career high for the senior who also scored a goal. The Winchester, Mass. native ranks fourth all-time at Syracuse in assists with 34 in her career.
Ain’t Nothin’ But A "D" Thing
The Orange defense has proved strong over the course of the first nine games. The back line is allowing 7.80 goals per game and has caused 110 of the 162 turnovers it has forced in nine games, which comes out to 68 percent. The defense has also been strong on free position shots, as opponents have scored just 17 times on 68 attempts, a 25 percent clip. The SU scoring defense ranks 17th in the country and its 10.50 caused turnovers per game is tied for 20th.
The defense has stifled some of its opponents on the offensive end. Against Binghamton on March 7, the Orange held Binghamton scoreless in the second half, the only time that has happened this year. SU only allowed the Bearcats two goals in the first half of that game. The back line has also held Harvard and Towson to two-goal halves. In the second half against UConn, Syracuse allowed just one goal and then carried that momentum to the first half against Albany when it also allowed only one goal.
Queen Of The Kasel
Senior Jen Kasel came up huge for the Orange in its wins against Dartmouth and Towson. She saved 10 shots in the game to hold the Big Green at bay on Feb. 27. Against Towson, she stopped a season-high 15 shots to lead SU to the 7-5 win. For her performance, she was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week. Kasel currently ranks 16th in the nation in goals allowed per game at 8.14.
She has also proven herself as one of the most dominant goalkeepers in SU history. Her 119 saves last season was the fifth-highest total in a single season. The previous year, she stopped 181 shots, just five behind the single-season leader, Clothilde Ewing. On the all-time ledger, the Mountain Lakes, N.J. native ranks second in saves with 373 in her career. The all-time leader in that category is Carla Gigon, who saved 475 shots in her illustrious career.
Kasel also made a mark in the single-game saves record books. On April 3 of 2003, she stopped 23 shots against Rutgers in a 15-5 victory. Ewing holds the record for saves in a game with 25. She achieved the feat on the same exact day in 1999. Kasel has started every game in net the last three seasons for the Orange.
Home Games To Be Streamed Live On suathletics.com All-Access
Syracuse University Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross announced that it will offer live video streaming of all home men’s and women’s lacrosse games as part of the department’s All Access subscription service on www.suathletics.com. To subscribe to the Orange All Access package click on the Orange All Access on the school’s athletic website.
For optimal results in viewing streamed video, computers must have a high-speed internet connection and the latest version of Windows Media Player (a free download at www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia). Bandwidth constraints of service providers can affect the quality of the picture.
The All-Access service includes comprehensive video highlights, interviews, press conferences and behind the scenes features of all sports. All Access also includes live streaming audio of game broadcasts, as well as archived features and coaches shows. Cost of the All Access subscription service is $9.95 per month or $79.95 for a full year.
