Top Five Showdown: No. 4 Syracuse Takes on No. 2 Virginia in Charlottesville
2/28/2008 4:44:38 PM | Women's Lacrosse
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Fourth-ranked Syracuse hits the road for the first time this season when it travels to Charlottesville, Va., to take on No. 2 Virginia on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both teams enter the game with perfect 2-0 records. The two teams have faced each other nine times, with Virginia holding a 6-3 advantage in the series. Fans can listen to the live broadcast of the game on WJPZ 89.1 FM in the Syracuse area and on Orange All Access.
HOGAN NAMED BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman goalkeeper Liz Hogan has been named the BIG EAST Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week for her performance in the Orange’s two victories last week.
Hogan made her first collegiate start in Syracuse’s season opener against Canisius and recorded four saves and allowed just two goals in 55 minutes of action in a 24-3 victory. Against No. 17/14 Dartmouth, Hogan tallied seven saves and again allowed just two goals in 55 minutes. In the two games, she posted a 2.15 goals against average and a .733 save percentage. Hogan leads the conference in both categories.
ROWAN CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Junior Katie Rowan is continuing her assault on the Syracuse record book. With five points against Dartmouth, Rowan moved into third place on the all-time scoring list with 156 points. She trails Katrina Hable (1998-2001) by 28 points for sole possession of second place. Rowan has eight goals this season, giving her 113 in her career. Rowan now ranks fourth on SU’s all-time goals scored list. She needs 14 goals to tie Hable for the third slot on the career list. In addition, Rowan’s three assists against Dartmouth gives her 43 in her career, which ranks fifth on Syracuse’s career leader list.
DOVE GETS HIGH-FLYING ORANGE OFFENSE GOING
Sophomore Christina Dove has scored Syracuse’s first goal in each of its two games this season. In the season opener against Canisius, Dove scored 1:57 into the contest to start the Orange on a 12-0 scoring run to start the game. It took her just a little longer to score Syracuse’s first goal against Dartmouth, finding the back of the net 2:23 into the game. The goal was the first of 11 straight for the Orange against the Big Green. Dove has four goals in each of Syracuse’s two games this season, which ties for the team lead. She ranks second on the team in scoring with 10 points.
Dove’s contribution to the offense isn’t just about goals scored. She has taken the majority of draws for the Orange this season, and she leads the team with seven draw controls. Dove ranks second in the BIG EAST with 3.50 draw controls per game.
DEFENSE SHINES
While Syracuse’s offense has posted record-breaking numbers in the first two games, the Orange defense has been equally impressive. Syracuse held Canisius to just three goals as SU recorded a 19-goal win, the largest margin of victory in the program’s history. The Orange shut out Dartmouth in the first half in its 18-5 win. It marked the first time Syracuse held an opponent scoreless in a half since 2006 against Binghamton. Its opponents are averaging just 12.5 shots per game, compared to 45.5 for SU’s offense. The Orange is also winning the ground ball battle, averaging 16.5 per contest to its opponent’s 5.5 per game.
