Women's Lacrosse

Syracuse defense gets crucial stop in final minute, holds on in 14-13 win over No. 9 Virginia

Mallory Vehar said she felt like she was going to have a heart attack.

With 38 seconds remaining, Virginia had a third chance to tie the game. The previous two times, the Cavaliers succeeded.

This time, UVA’s goalie Rachel Vander Kolk launched the ball over the middle of the field in a clear attempt. But Syracuse’s Erica Bodt leapt in the air, knocked the ball down and teammate Kathy Rudkin picked up the ground ball.

“And then that feeling went away,” Vehar said.

As the Orange called timeout a split second later, its bench players spilled onto the field to greet teammates that were yelling in excitement.



Finally, Syracuse’s defense made a stop when it had to and the Orange’s fourth win of the season came shortly after its offense ran out the clock. Despite allowing eight free-position opportunities and blowing two leads, No. 2 SU (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) held on for a 14-13 win over No. 9 Virginia (1-2, 0-1) on Monday in the Carrier Dome.

In what Syracuse head coach Gary Gait described as his team’s first true test of the season, the Orange came through in the end after giving up several chances to the Cavaliers.

SU put itself in tough spots on defense by fouling inside the 8-meter arc and allowing free-position shots. UVA only converted 3-of-8 of those opportunities, but the Cavaliers also scored three more times on possessions that came off those chances.

“I think that’s what really kind of bailed us out and was able to keep us in the game,” Virginia head coach Julie Myers said. “But I thought their defense kind of hunkered down and they did their very best to throw some pressure at us and hurry us into some of our passes.”

With 3:18 left in the game, Virginia called timeout trailing by two. As Vehar came off the field, she pretended to play defense on teammate Kaeli O’Connor to demonstrate how to position themselves without committing a foul.

Syracuse formed just one huddle, not its typical two, and Regy Thorpe, who coaches the defense, led the conversation.

But just 53 seconds later, Vehar received a yellow card for slashing, giving UVA a man-up advantage.

And even after discussing how to play smarter in timeout huddles, the Cavaliers earned their sixth free position of the second half, which resulted in a Casey Bocklet goal.

“Who knows?” Gait said. “I didn’t think some of them were shooting space, but that’s just me.”

Earlier in the game, Syracuse fell behind 4-1 as the Cavaliers attacked in transition. But when the game slowed down and SU’s defense settled in, UVA’s offense hit a wall. The Orange pressured Virginia’s six players who stayed at the perimeter.

An assistant coach yelled “Composure, Virginia, composure!” from the sideline in response to Syracuse’s pressurizing defense.

The Cavaliers’ offense ran through Bocklet, Liza Blue, and Kelly Boyd, who combined for 10-of-13 goals and Gait told his team to focus on them down the stretch.

When the Orange led 9-6, UVA responded with three straight goals. When it led 10-9, Virginia answered again.

“We knew what we had to do,” Gait said. “We made some mental errors… We could be a little smarter.”

So with a 14-13 lead to protect with 38 seconds left, Syracuse needed a stop in a situation it had failed to get one in all night — and got it.

After the close win, Gait said it will be a learning experience going forward. Staying composed until the end is what goalie Kelsey Richardson said was the key in the up-and-down contest.

“You just have to have a short memory,” Richardson said. “If the ball goes in, it goes in. You just have to get the next one… It’s definitely not going to be the last game that’s like that, so you just get used to it and you got to roll with the punches.”





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