Syracuse University
No. 1 Northwestern
Orange Loses Heartbreaker to No. 1 Northwestern, 13-12
3/21/2010 3:54:50 PM | Women's Lacrosse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Eighth-ranked Syracuse's comeback came up just short in its bid to upset No. 1-ranked and five-time defending national champion Northwestern. The Wildcats' Katrina Dowd scored an unassisted goal with 1:28 remaining to give Northwestern a 13-12 victory against the Orange at Christian Brothers Academy on Sunday, March 21. The game was played in front of 1,583 fans, which is the second-largest crowd in school history.
The final eight minutes featured three ties and four lead changes. Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Northwestern (6-0) netted five consecutive goals to start the second half to take an 11-10 lead with 17:33 remaining. Syracuse (4-2) tied the score on senior Christina Dove's goal on an assist from junior Tee Ladouceur with 14:58 on the clock. Danielle Spencer broke the tie with her game-high sixth goal at the 5:16 mark, giving Northwestern a 12-11 advantage, but Dove and Ladouceur connected again, this time Ladouceur scoring on a dish from Dove, to knot the score at 12-12 at the 2:47 mark. The Orange won the ensuing draw, but a Northwestern double team forced an Orange turnover, giving the Wildcats possession with 2:36 remaining. Northwestern worked the ball into its offensive zone where Dowd netted the game-winner with 1:28 remaining. The Wildcats won the final draw control of the game and ran out the clock as they recorded their 35th consecutive victory.
“We have to go back and work on our mental toughness and build our confidence up a little more so when we get into a game like this and get opportunities, we're able to relax and finish easy opportunities,” said Syracuse head coach Gary Gait. “If we put our game together and play with confidence, we can beat anybody. I think that's what you take away from (this game) – we have the talent and we have the ability and now we just have to work on the mental side of the game.”
Syracuse controlled much of the action in the first half. Trailing 5-1 after 11 minutes of play, the Orange outscored the Wildcats, 9-2, in the final 19 minutes. Tumolo started Syracuse's scoring run with a goal at the 18:41 mark. Seniors Jackie DePetris and Halley Quillinan netted goals to bring the Orange to within one at 5-4 with 13:11 left on the clock. Following a Northwestern goal, freshman Tegan Brown scored her first goal of the game which was followed by three consecutive goals by Dove, which gave the Orange an 8-6 advantage with 2:18 remaining. The teams traded goals before DePetris found the back of the net with 19 seconds remaining to give Syracuse its largest lead of the game, 10-7, at intermission.
Dove led the Orange with five points (4g, 1a), while DePetris had her second hat trick of the season. Tumolo had two goals and two assists, and Ladouceur scored one goal and had a team-high four assists. In addition, Quillinan and freshman Brown each had a goal, while freshman Bridget Daley had a career-high two assists. Spencer led all scorers with six goals, and Dowd added three goals and an assist.
Syracuse outshot Northwestern, 30-26, and caused 24 Wildcat turnovers. Northwestern won 18-of 27 draw controls. Orange goalkeeper Liz Hogan made 11 saves, while the Wildcats' Brianne LoManto had 10 saves.
The Orange is back in action on Wednesday when it faces Dartmouth at 3 p.m. at Coyne Field. Admission is free of charge.
