Orange Season Ends in National Semifinal

Friday, November 21

Louisville, Ky.

7:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

Wake Forest

The 2008 Syracuse field hockey team ended the year with the best record in school history.

11/21/2008 11:21:52 PM | Field Hockey

BOX SCORE | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

LOUISVILLE – The 2008 third-ranked Syracuse Orange field hockey (22-2) season ended today in the national semifinals with 3-2 overtime loss to the second-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons (22-3) at Trager Stadium on the University of Louisville campus. The Orange trailed 1-0 early, but tied the game at 1-1 before halftime. SU trailed again, 2-1, but tied the game at 2-2 to send the game into overtime. Wake Forest’s Hillary Moore scored her third goal of the game with 5:56 remaining in the first overtime to send the Demon Deacons into the championship game. It most successful season in school history as the Orange completely rewrote the record books and became the first female team at SU ever hold the top ranking.

After a one-hour and 45-minute delay due to field conditions, both teams finally took the field. Just as it did against Massachusetts and Princeton, the Orange found itself behind early when Moore caged her firstgoal at 24:24. She hit a high bouncing ball that caromed off the stick of freshman back Anne-Sophie Van der Post in the circle past senior goalkeeper Heather Hess high stick side.

Sophomore forward Lindsey Conrad tied the game at 1-1 at 15:17. The sophomore took the ball from the middle of the field all the way into the circle and fired it past WF keeper Crystal Duffield high stick side. It was Conrad’s 20th goal of the season.

The two teams played the final 15 minutes scoreless, even though both squads had scoring opportunities. The Orange outshot the Demon Deacons, 6-5 and held a 5-2 advantage in penalty corners.

The Demon Deacons put the score at 2-1 was 27:14 remaining as Moore tallied her second goal of the day, putting home a pass from Kim Romansky.

The Orange tied the game for the second time as Conrad notched her second goal of the day with 12:50 left. The sophomore scooped a ball into the cage off the pads of Duffield after a hit from senior midfield Shannon Taylor.

The two squads played the remaining minutes scoreless, with both teams coming close to scoring the game-winning goal.

Moore scored her third goal of the day after taking a ball off the pads of Hess and put it into the bottom right-hand corner of the cage. The game winner came with 5:56 remaining in the first overtime session.

Hess had five saves for SU and Duffield made five for WF. The Orange outshot the Demon Deacons, 16-10, and held the penalty corner advantage, 8-3.