NCAA Championship Semifinal Post-Game Quotes
Syracuse University Quotes
Friday, May 23, 2008 – Post-Game Press Conference
Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
Syracuse Coach Gary Gait
Opening statement:
“Obviously the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, but that’s a very good Northwestern team. We knew we were going to have to play a spectacular game to overcome them. They are a very athletic team and did a nice job outplaying us in the second half.”
On the differences with Katie Rowan out of the mix:
“It changes things but we did some preparation for that and we did well in the first half. It just seems like we didn’t have the ball in the second half, which makes their job easy. It’s hard to get Katie the ball when we don’t have it. I thought they dominated the loose balls in the second half.”
On the two games this season against Northwestern:
“It tells you that they are an experienced team. It tells you how athletic they are and that they can go 100% for the entire game. They kept the pressure on the offensive end and when your defense gets tired, you tend to make mistakes. Overall, it shows their experience. They knew what they wanted to do and it paid off.”
On how the team felt at half-time:
“We felt pretty good, but we lost three or four draws in a row and never really touched the ball. We felt good down by one and then, you go out and hope for the best and it just didn’t go that way.”
On adjustments entering the game:
“It was easy to fall apart when we didn’t have the ball. We wanted to slow the ball down in the first half and we did that well. We slowed the game well and played pretty well on the offensive end and stayed fairly rested. [Northwestern] just turned it up a notch on the ground balls and the draw controls in the second half.”
On what Northwestern did well in the second half:
“They took advantage of their possessions and when you get tired, it wears you down. They attack you on a lot of one-on-one’s and they keep coming.”
On Syracuse’s seniors and what they meant for the season:
“I thought the seniors stepped up providing the leadership and helped make the coaching transition go very smoothly last summer. We worked hard this year and I thank them. [The seniors] made my first year very enjoyable.”
Lindsay Rogers
On Northwester in the second half:
“They are very athletic, and they were quicker off the start which allowed their possessions to be longer.”
On the Syracuse team:
“We are all proud of our accomplishments and will look to go further next year.”
On defending Hilary Bowen:
“She is athletic, small, quick and sneaky. She sees the field and the players well which makes defending her difficult. She did really well and she stepped it up. She’s a really great player.”
Kristin Brady
On the second half:
“Even if we did get a draw they checked it out of our stick, they are very tenacious.”
On this year’s seniors:
“I think that everyone’s passion for lacrosse was there and I am really blessed. To make the final four was great.”
Katie Rowan
On Maggie Bremer:
“She is really athletic and she stayed right on me. She’s a great defender.”
On reaching the national semifinals:
“I think we’ll all remember this game, it’s great to have this experience.”
On the game:
“We executed well in the first half, but they gained the possession in the second half. [Northwestern] have a lot of depth and they were very fresh in the second half.”
