1998 NCAA Tournament
Syracuse earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the time in 1998, just its third season of existence. The squad didn’t have far to travel for its first-round matchup as it faced Central New York foe Colgate in Hamilton.
The Orange took an early lead when leading scorer Erin O’Grady headed in a cross from Molly Schmelzle. It would be the only goal in the first half. Junior Jenna Szyluk started Syracuse’s second-half offensive outburst with a tally off a scramble in front of the Red Raider net. Cindy Wolf put a corner kick from the left side in front of the goal mouth where Szyluk volleyed a shot off a Colgate defender into the back of the net for her second goal of the game. Stacy Shanning finished another Wolf corner kick to give Syracuse a 3-0 lead in the 67th minute of play.
Molly Ryan punched a free ball off a corner kick in the 72nd minute to pull Colgate within two goals, but Trisha Burch put the match out of reach with a long-distance goal on an assist from Candy Reich in the 84th minute.
The Orange outshot the Red Raiders, 19-5, and held a 16-6 advantage in corner kicks. Jeanine King made three saves in goal for SU.
Syracuse faced No. 6 seed Connecticut in the second round in Storrs, Conn. It marked the second meeting between the two squads that season. The Orange came out strong in the early minutes of the game, keeping the ball in its offensive zone and pressuring the Huskies’ goalkeeper. Connecticut’s first real scoring opportunity resulted in a penalty kick, which freshman Mary-Frances Monroe converted at the 9:34 mark to give UConn the lead. The Huskies used the momentum from that goal to take control of the remainder of the first half. They took 14 shots on net in the first 45 minutes of play, but King made and the SU defense held strong, keeping the deficit at one at halftime.
The Orange put more pressure on Connecticut at the start of the second half and its determination paid off in the 57th minute when Schmelzle attempted a cross but found the back of the net instead to even the score at 1-1. The teams continued to battle and the game appeared to be headed to overtime until Monroe netted her second goal of the game in the 88th minute. She took a through pass from Jana Carabino and found herself alone in front of King from six feet out. Monroe put her shot into the back of the net for the game winner.
Connecticut outshot Syracuse, 23-5, and earned six corner kicks. King finished with seven saves.
The Orange took an early lead when leading scorer Erin O’Grady headed in a cross from Molly Schmelzle. It would be the only goal in the first half. Junior Jenna Szyluk started Syracuse’s second-half offensive outburst with a tally off a scramble in front of the Red Raider net. Cindy Wolf put a corner kick from the left side in front of the goal mouth where Szyluk volleyed a shot off a Colgate defender into the back of the net for her second goal of the game. Stacy Shanning finished another Wolf corner kick to give Syracuse a 3-0 lead in the 67th minute of play.
Molly Ryan punched a free ball off a corner kick in the 72nd minute to pull Colgate within two goals, but Trisha Burch put the match out of reach with a long-distance goal on an assist from Candy Reich in the 84th minute.
The Orange outshot the Red Raiders, 19-5, and held a 16-6 advantage in corner kicks. Jeanine King made three saves in goal for SU.
Syracuse faced No. 6 seed Connecticut in the second round in Storrs, Conn. It marked the second meeting between the two squads that season. The Orange came out strong in the early minutes of the game, keeping the ball in its offensive zone and pressuring the Huskies’ goalkeeper. Connecticut’s first real scoring opportunity resulted in a penalty kick, which freshman Mary-Frances Monroe converted at the 9:34 mark to give UConn the lead. The Huskies used the momentum from that goal to take control of the remainder of the first half. They took 14 shots on net in the first 45 minutes of play, but King made and the SU defense held strong, keeping the deficit at one at halftime.
The Orange put more pressure on Connecticut at the start of the second half and its determination paid off in the 57th minute when Schmelzle attempted a cross but found the back of the net instead to even the score at 1-1. The teams continued to battle and the game appeared to be headed to overtime until Monroe netted her second goal of the game in the 88th minute. She took a through pass from Jana Carabino and found herself alone in front of King from six feet out. Monroe put her shot into the back of the net for the game winner.
Connecticut outshot Syracuse, 23-5, and earned six corner kicks. King finished with seven saves.
