Florida wants revenge. Before Syracuse even left for the “Sunshine State,” Natalie Glanell could already tell the Gators wouldn’t be welcoming the Orange.

“We have our tension with each other,” said Glanell, SU defender. “They’ve done the whole social media thing towards us… You can say a little garbage talk on their side but, you know, you’re going to get that.”

Flash back to May 25, the final four of the NCAA tournament at Stony Brook, N.Y, where the fourth-seeded Orange were pitted against top-ranked Florida. Almost 40 minutes into the game, the Gators were up 11-4 and seemed well on their way to their first national championship appearance.

What ensued is why this particular matchup was the only women’s contest nominated for Inside Lacrosse’s Game of the Year. The Orange embarked on a 9-2 run over the last 21:34 of regulation to force overtime and then double overtime, where Sarah Holden netted her fourth goal to send Syracuse to the national championship.

The dejected Gators walked off the field at LaValle Stadium, eyes teary and hearts broken.

On Saturday, No. 2 Florida (6-0) looks to exact its revenge when it squares off with No. 5 Syracuse (2-1) at 5 p.m. in Miami’s SunLife Stadium. The Gators return all but two starters from the final four classic, so emotions will run particularly high in a game that Inside Lacrosse predicts will be the top matchup of the year.

“It’s going to be so intense,” SU attack Michelle Tumolo said. “I think it’s going to be great though, because we have to keep that momentum going from our last game and they… definitely want a big upset.”

After facing Maryland and Virginia, the Orange will face a Top-10 team for the third weekend in a row. Head coach Gary Gait has stressed the importance of taking on a difficult nonconference schedule, a challenge he believes will benefit SU in the long run.

The Gators, who played all six of their games in February, come into Saturday’s contest with more game experience than the 2-1 Orange. SU opened its season on Jan. 13, then waited more than a month before being thrust into its demanding stretch of tough competition.

But that doesn’t bother Syracuse. The Orange wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Definitely not. If we had more time, we’d lose it,” Tumolo said. “So I think that coming right in, going against these Top-10 teams is the best way to go into it.”

The Orange’s midfield will be especially tested on Saturday, going up against a Florida midfield that features Brittany Dashiell, a Tewaaraton Award finalist a year ago, and Shannon Gilroy, who ranks second in the country with 16 goals scored.

After being dominated by Maryland’s starting midfield – which scored 13 of the Terps’ 19 goals in the Feb. 17 meeting at the Carrier Dome – the Orange limited Virginia’s midfield to just four goals.

But against Florida, the SU midfielders will have their hands full.

“I think we just need to be able to run with them, reduce our subbing more, and just not let them clear as fast, so lessen the fast breaks,” Syracuse midfielder Katie Webster said.

And offensively, it won’t be any easier for the Orange. Florida goalie Mikey Meagher led the nation with a save percentage of 53.7 percent, and she’s at the same exact clip six games into the 2013 season. Gait said the biggest difference in the game on Saturday will be SU’s shooting, and if the Orange can swing the momentum in its favor with scores early in the game.

The matchup on Saturday won’t make or break either of these teams’ seasons. But it’s a chance for Syracuse to assert itself early in the year, and an opportunity for the Gators to ease their pain of last season’s ending.

“We know they’re out to get us,” Glanell said, “but so what? Aren’t a bunch of other teams? It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be really fun. We want to beat them just as badly as they want to beat us.”

Published on March 1, 2013 at 5:39 pm

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