Something was distinctively different about the way everything was unraveling. For just the second time during its three games, the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team was trailing its opponent.

The game explained a lot about the character of a team that had blown out its opponents in the previous two games, by a combine score of 33-12. For the first time this season, the Orange was locked in a back-and-forth battle.

‘I think we went into the game a little tight, focused on our own players and didn’t get the help defense we needed to start the game,’ SU head coach Gary Gait said. ‘But they responded well and played tough.’

Then-No. 6 Syracuse (2-1) has had a long week of practice to reflect on its loss to then-No. 12 Virginia. The Orange will look to right the ship against Vermont (0-1) Monday. The game presents an ideal opportunity for SU to revert to its dominant way as the Catamounts were beat by Dartmouth, 22-2, on March 3.

The still-fresh memory of the loss to UVa will ultimately be the driving force if SU is to return to its dominant ways.

The Orange had led its first two games from essentially start to finish. Its only deficit came early in Syracuse’s first game against Colgate. SU was down 8-6 at halftime during its game against Virginia.

‘We were disappointed with the half we put together. Going into the second half, we just wanted to go down to the basics,’ senior attack Halley Quillinan said. ‘I don’t think we were playing team defense at all in the first half. I think we buckled down and did well in the second half.’

The Orange showed resiliency closing the gap in the second half. It eventually tied the game with 5:39 to play. Virginia scored the deciding goal with less than two minutes remaining.

‘There are still a lot of things to work on, and it’s still early in the season,’ senior midfielder Christina Dove said. ‘It’s not too late to correct things and get momentum going into our next game versus Vermont.’

Against UVa, Gait had to inspire his players to pull off the comeback for the first time all season. He learned a lot about his team in the second half of action.

But the lessons learn will ultimately help his team moving forward, the coach said.

‘We had some unlucky calls and some unlucky bounces and things didn’t go our way, but they fought back and they never gave up,’ Gait said. ‘We got a little tight at the end and made some mistakes, but it’s early in the season and hopefully by the end we’ll be finishing off games much stronger.’

The Orange was outmatched in shots and draw controls against Virginia. It committed 30 fouls, which enabled Virginia to convert on three free-position shots. The loss was the first of the season for the Orange and has left the players motivated to get back on track.

‘We’re excited and we’re definitely going to get hot here,’ Quillinan said. ‘I think we need to get in a little bit better physical shape, and I think we need to play a little smarter. We’ll definitely be working on the basics, ground balls, the little things that win the battle.’

The Orange has shown that it can compete with some of the best teams in the country. It will look to avoid a letdown on Monday before playing two more ranked opponents. Syracuse faces No. 1 and defending national champion Northwestern March 21.

Through the first two games, Syracuse dismantled both Colgate and No. 13 Stanford. The Orange dominated every facet of the game. When the Orange faced Virginia it was faced with its first true test.

That loss could serve as extra motivation against Vermont.

‘You have to be ready and play 60 minutes each game,’ Gait said. ‘Things aren’t always going to go your way, and you have to be prepared to play and outwork your opponents. You have to really step up your game no matter what kind of adversity you face.’

adtredin@syr.edu

Published on March 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm