Seniors Leonie Geyer, Laura Hahnefeldt and Anna Crumb all collapsed onto the turf at J.S. Coyne Stadium in disbelief once the final whistle sounded.

After winning 36 games on their home field, they were forced to watch as their opponents ran off the bench in jubilant celebration following the 37th and most important contest.

No. 2-seed Syracuse dominated the shot chart and time of possession, but trailed where it mattered most. A second-half goal by Kristin Matula carried Michigan State (14-9, 4-2 Big Ten) to a shocking 2-1 upset victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament and ended SU’s (16-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) 2013 season.

“Our movement off the ball was not as strong as it usually is,” Orange head coach Ange Bradley said. “We kind of waited for things to happen instead of making things happen, and that was the story of the game.”

The Spartans jumped on the board in the sixth minute when Abby Barker knocked home a pass from Allie Ahearn in front of the cage. Barker’s 18th goal of the season sent a jolt through the Spartan faithful that made the trip with the team and forced the Orange to be more aggressive offensively.

SU made the necessary adjustments, but failed to capitalize on a number of glorious scoring chances. Lauren Brooks, Emma Russell and Karlee Farr were all rejected by Spartans goalie Molly Cassidy during even-strength play, and Geyer missed on a penalty corner with 13 minutes remaining in the frame.

Syracuse finally converted on a corner during the 29th minute. Geyer ripped a slap shot that was sent aside by a diving Cassidy. However, the ball popped right to Alyssa Manley, who easily poked home the rebound to even the score at one apiece.

At the end of the first half, SU had outshot the Spartans by an astonishing 12-2 margin. By surviving the barrage, though, Michigan State had put itself in position to retake the lead at any moment.

“Just because you’re a higher seed or supposed to be better than another team doesn’t mean they’re not going to come out and play you hard,” back Jordan Page said. “I think it’s important to realize that we have to go out and fight for everything we want and not let other teams take it away from us.”

That’s what happened halfway through the second frame. Matula, a freshman that had scored only one goal prior to Saturday, picked up a ball misplayed by the Syracuse defense and dashed down the far side of the field.

“I noticed that there was a slight gap between two defenders, and the ball went perfectly right through them,” Matula said. “I got the ball and looked up to see where the goalie was and did a pool right, like the coaches always tell us, and I put it in.”

Down 2-1, the Orange continued to squander chances. Bradley even pulled goalie Jess Jecko with 4:28 remaining to create a two-man advantage, but the offense sputtered. A frantic push during the final minute produced no shots on goal, and the Spartans were able to clear the ball one final time as the closing seconds ticked away.

Michigan State has now won six games in a row, including Wednesday’s play-in game to make the 16-team bracket, and will continue its improbable postseason run tomorrow against either Boston College or Connecticut.

Meanwhile, Syracuse’s home-field dominance came to an abrupt end, and the loss soured what had been a memorable first ACC season.

“Right now we’re experiencing a death of a season and the ending of a team,” Bradley said. “Right now these kids need time to grieve and reflect on the good things and the bad things that happened on their journey together.

“Come January, a new life will be born and that will be the start of the 2014 team.”

Published on November 16, 2013 at 4:26 pm

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