Syracuse Suffers Second ACC Loss in Overtime

By Nicole Weaving
Women’s Lacrosse Beat Reporter

Syracuse (6-3, 0-2 ACC) played from behind the entire game against Notre Dame (6-5, 2-3 ACC). The Orange had to fight back in the second half, outscoring the Irish 8-4 to push the game to overtime.

But the offense couldn’t get the job done in the extra period, matching the difficulty it faced in regulation. The unranked Irish upset No. 9 Syracuse 11-10 in South Bend, snapping a three-game losing streak.

It was Syracuse’s first overtime period of the season. Julie Cross was lined up against Andie Aldave in the circle at the beginning of OT. The ball flew towards Kerry Defliese and Savannah Buchanan on the wing. It slipped past them heading toward the Orange’s defensive end. A ground ball scrum ensued until Kelzi Van Atta was able to come up with it.

Due to the sudden death nature of overtime, SU head coach Gary Gait then promptly called a timeout to draw up a play.

The Orange worked the ball around the top of the 12-meter arc. Molly Carter, who is tied for second on the team in assists, couldn’t find any cutters from the right elbow. Nicole Levy, who had four goals on the day, tried to spark the SU offense once more. Makenna Pearsall shut her down.

With less than 30 seconds left on the shot clock, Taylor Gait drove to the goal off a screen but couldn’t get around her defender. Riley Donahue faced the same result when she attempted to roll cage. It came down to Sam Swart firing under pressure from almost seven meters, allowing Samantha Giacolone to make the save.

When Carter and Giacolone went to chase the ball out of bounds, the referee called possession to Notre Dame even though Carter looked closer to the end line. The other referee originally disagreed but followed suit after some discussion.

Notre Dame worked the ball in its offensive end for less than a minute before Savannah Buchanan found Andie Adalve wide open cutting through the center.

Giacolone may have made seven saves in the contest, but Syracuse missed ten shots wide or high. The offense also had 15 turnovers, many from forced passes inside the 8-meter fan. If it weren’t for SU’s veteran talent in Levy and Donahue, who scored six out of Syracuse’s ten goals, the Orange wouldn’t have had a chance.

There’s no rest for the Orange as they travel to Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern on Monday at 2 p.m.

@nicki_weaves | nlweavin@syr.edu