This by D.O. staff writer John Sutton, who was at the Carrier Dome for this afternoon’s women’s lacrosse opening round NCAA tournament game against Towson. The Orange won, 21-9, and will have a home game against North Carolina next Saturday in the quarterfinals.
By John Sutton
Staff Writer
May 11, 8 p.m. — All season, Gary Gait has implored his potent Syracuse offense to take high-percentage shots.
On Sunday, the Syracuse head coach watched as his team put together one of its most efficient performances in the biggest game of the season thus far.
The No. 5 Orange defeated Towson, 21-9, Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Syracuse converted 21 goals on only 33 shots, making it impossible for Towson to gain any momentum throughout the game.
Syracuse will face North Carolina next Saturday in the tournament quarterfinals at 1 p.m. in the Dome. The Tar Heels scored an 11-7 upset earlier in the day over No. 4 Virginia, which defeated Syracuse on March 1.
Coming off a two week layoff since winning the Big East tournament in South Bend, Ind., the Orange (17-2) continued to put up big offensive numbers in the program’s first home NCAA tournament game.
“They were quality shots, I thought we matched up pretty well with their goalie and her style of play,” Gait said. “We did a nice job, knowing the way she plays, we played great. We had a good week to work on where to shoot the ball and what we need to do. It’s great when they execute. It’s fun to watch.”
It was business as usual for the Orange, on the same field where earlier in the day, several members of the team had graduated, taking part in Syracuse’s Commencement ceremony.
Once again SU junior attack Katie Rowan set the pace, tallying two Syracuse and NCAA tournament records with 13 points and eight assists on Sunday. Christina Dove also had five goals, and Halley Quillinan tallied four of her own in the win.
Gait has urged Rowan to put up her best performances in the biggest games this season. While the Orange defeated Towson 22-5 earlier in the season, this time around the stakes were higher.
“It was a quiet 13 points,” Gait said. “We stuck to our offense. We talk about it, her stepping up in big games, and it’s the NCAA tournament and she has her biggest game. You’ve got to be happy with that. She does a great job keeping her head up and the other players on the team are cutting hard.”
Early in the game it looked like the Tigers (13-6) would give Syracuse a tougher game than earlier in the season. But with the score tied 2-2 with 22:12 left in the first half, Syracuse went on a seven-goal run to put the game out of reach.
While senior attack Kristin Brady admitted afterwards she expected a tougher game from Towson, Gait felt that there was a difference in the Tigers from the last time the teams met.
“I think the effort level, they were a little better prepared,” Gait said. “I think, the first time, we caught them off guard and we caught them early. We were able to run it up on them, and take them out of their game early. This time, they showed up ready to play.”
The key to victory remained Syracuse’s ability to convert on so many of its scoring chances. The constant barrage denied the Tigers and their substantial cheering contingent from gaining any sort of foothold in the game.
“It definitely wasn’t a shooting day for us. I thought Syracuse shot very well,” Towson head coach Missy Doherty said. “Twenty-one goals on 33 shots, that’s called having a good shot percentage day.”
North Carolina’s upset means the Orange will get to stuck around for another home game - SU would have traveled to Virginia had the Cavaliers won. A win against the Tar Hells would propel Syracuse into the first final four in school history, hosted this year in Towson, Md.
“We’re pretty comfortable playing in the Dome,” Rowan said. “We’re really excited to stick around Syracuse for another week, and get another win here.”
jssutton@syr.edu