It’s a great memory for Syracuse. But the players insist it only sits in the backs of their minds.

With an impending playoff matchup against Florida, the Orange refuses to get carried away reflecting on SU’s seven-goal comeback to beat the Gators in last season’s final four.

“It’s always going to be a game that I will remember,” junior attack Alyssa Murray said. “But I think you can’t dwell on memories like that. Because if you do, then you’re just going to sit back and just wait for something like that to happen.

“A seven-goal comeback doesn’t come around often so rather than playing from behind like we did last year, we’re going to try and get out to a quick lead and really keep it there.”

A year removed from a triumphant 14-13 double-overtime victory over UF to reach the national championship game, the Orange meets the Gators once again in the postseason. Fourth-seeded Syracuse (17-3) will face No. 5 Florida (18-2) for the second time this year, but this, at the Carrier Dome on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a trip to this season’s final four on the line.

The new season has brought change to both sidelines, altering the matchups and forcing the coaches to devise new game plans.

Syracuse’s players won’t pride themselves on their resurgence over such a deficit in last year’s national semifinals. Both teams are completely different teams, the players said. The feat means little to SU now.

Eyes are focused on this weekend, when the Gators will travel to the Carrier Dome for the very first time.

“And the Dome isn’t exactly a friendly atmosphere for the opposing team,” said Syracuse midfielder Bridget Daley. “And that charges us up even more.”

The two national powerhouses met on March 2 in Miami, where the Gators prevailed 14-10. But in the two and a half months since that contest, the two squads have evolved.

“We’re just at a point in our season that we’ve really come together as a group and we’re just really confident playing with each other,” said senior Becca Block, Synapse Sports’ defender of the year. “Our attack and defense have grown so much that we’re just totally different the way we’re playing.”

In SU’s last two meetings with UF, Michelle Tumolo carried Syracuse’s offense. She burned the Gators for five points in the final four and then spearheaded SU’s attack with four goals and an assist on March 2. But the Orange no longer has her skills at its disposal, as the senior went down with a torn left ACL on April 16.

In her absence emerged freshman Kayla Treanor. In the eight games since the senior’s injury, Treanor exceeded her collective production from the previous 12 games.

Simultaneously, Murray was just as dynamic and finished fourth in the nation with 100 points. The duo of Murray and Treanor has been “phenomenal” down the stretch, Daley said.

Syracuse believes the pair’s dominance will translate against a Florida team that poses a more competitive threat than SU’s most recent opponent, Dartmouth.

SU head coach Gary Gait said he was happy with Murray and Treanor’s performance against DC, but stressed that Florida represents an entirely new challenge.

The Orange knows it has no time or reason for reminiscing old memories.

“You hear a lot about (Florida having) 13 seniors and they’ve been there for four years,” Daley said. “You got to remember that we have seniors who have been here for four years, and every class that we have wants to win a national championship just as bad as they do.”

Published on May 17, 2013 at 10:44 pm

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