Head Coach Gary Gait Quotes (5/17/08)
Opening Statement:
“I thought it was a great team effort. We knew Carolina was very athletic and a very good team. I thought we prepared well and the players stepped up when we needed them to and executed. That’s what it takes to win games like this – players to make plays and to get the ball to bounce your way once or twice. I thought it went well today, and I’m excited about heading down to Towson.”
On Syracuse’s play in the final 10 minutes:
“We were trying to clear two players through and open up the entire top, but Katie’s very eager to go and very excited. What was happening is that when she was going across the top, she was drawing the other defender. We were just trying to slide them under so she wouldn’t have to double and she could get her arms free for a shot. She got it the first time, and they didn’t quite get the double there quick enough. We stuck with that play three times in a row, and they slid off and Katie did an excellent job of finding the open person. It was definitely something we saw, and it was very effective for three goals.”
On Liz Hogan’s long clear with a minute remaining:
”I have to be honest: we practiced that, sure, but I was caught off-guard. I was thinking ‘possession, possession.’ You know, Maggie Koch, our goalie coach, talked to Liz and she works with her one-on-one, and I went over and asked her why she threw it down the field, and she goes, ‘I told her, if you’re running into trouble, rather than losing the ball and getting under pressure, instead of panicking, just lay it down the middle of the field and give ourselves an opportunity to go get it.’ So I have to give credit to Maggie on that play and the fact that we always tell our players to be ready for anything. Be ready to react on any play. I think Jackie saw her throwing the ball, cut hard and just a one-bouncer in the stick. It was perfect.”
On bringing his experience in big games to his team:
“As a coach you try and impart your experience and your wisdom of how I’ve been through this before. I’ve been doing it all year, trying to prepare this team to act and be like a championship team. And I think you saw that. The questions about composure and you didn’t overreact and didn’t panic. That’s a process of what we’ve been doing all year long. Our mental training to just the way we talk about being the Syracuse Orange. That’s the result of the work. Staying composed, ready to play, not giving up, and you just have to be proud as a coach when they follow through and get the job done.”
On looking ahead to Northwestern:
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us. If you win a championship, you have to beat the best. And they’re the best. We’ve seen them before, and hopefully we’ve learned a lot and we’ve made some adjustments. Hopefully, we’ve come a long way since then and we can improve and be ready to play.”
On the performance of Katie Rowan:
“She wasn’t having her best game, but the thing is, she didn’t give up, she kept trying. She was a little unlucky; I think she hit three or four pipes. You have to stick with your go-to players. We saw the way the defense was playing. That timeout came and we wanted to make sure we scored. Katie stepped up and we ran the same play three times in a row and Katie delivered three goals – a goal and two assists. That’s putting the ball in her hands and giving her the opportunity and she got it done.”
On getting to the Final Four in his first year as head coach:
“I think that’s why I’m here – to bring this team and this program to the next level and I’m very happy that in our first year, we’re in a Final Four.”
