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With the game tied at 11-11 and six minutes left in the game, Syracuse had yet to lead in the game. Sam Swart missed a shot, and the Cavaliers charged down the field in transition, something that the Orange struggled to defend against in previous games.

But Syracuse was prepared this time, putting defenders on the sprinting Virginia players right when they crossed the midfield line. Multiple SU defenders swarmed UVA’s Lillie Kloak, who lost control of the ball due to the number of sticks surrounding her.

The Orange cleared the ball and found an unprepared Cavalier defense on the other side of the field. In two passes, Megan Carney found the back of the net to give SU a 12-11 lead, one it would never surrender.

After allowing seven goals in the first half, No. 3 Syracuse (8-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) defeated No. 6 Virginia (8-4, 3-4) 15-12 on Saturday, holding the Cavaliers to just seven shots in the second half. The Orange caused 18 turnovers as well. Asa Goldstock had just four saves, but SU’s ability to hold UVA to five goals in the second period allowed the offense to stage a comeback win.

“When (the defense) get a good transition, and they’re pushing hard, it builds so much energy and so much momentum for us,” attack Meaghan Tyrrell said. “Everyone gets hyped up. Having those stops is so crucial for us.”

Syracuse had multiple first-half defensive mishaps that led to easy goals for Virginia. After stopping the Cavaliers on a scoring opportunity, Goldstock brought the ball up to the midfield line, something she does every game to kickstart SU’s offense.

But as Goldstock tried to make a quick pass to one of SU’s midfielders, the ball was deflected by UVA’s Morgan Schwab, who picked up the ground ball and scored on the Orange’s empty net.

Goldstock didn’t leave the 8-meter circle after that, but the defensive problems continued. In the first half, the Cavaliers usually had one or two of their attacks in the middle of Syracuse’s zone defense waiting for an opening.

“When you play a zone defense, you always have people open in the middle,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said after Syracuse’s 17-6 loss to No. 1 North Carolina. “But you hope you get enough pressure that they can’t find those players who are open.”

In the first half, the Orange played a more “packed in” zone, which allowed the Cavaliers to drive deep into the 8-meter and score from in the zone’s holes, Gait said. But Syracuse moved to a high-pressure zone in the second half, ensuring that SU’s defenders were on any members of Virginia’s attack right after they crossed the midfield line.

Virginia didn’t take full advantage of Syracuse’s high-pressure zone, Gait said. They weren’t passing a lot, which would have opened opportunities because the Orange were positioned so high up on the field. Instead, Syracuse was able to get double team Virginia attacks who made their way into another defender’s zone, he said.

“If they had been more stationary, there wouldn’t have been as many (double teams), but they were driving hard to the goal,” Gait said. “It allowed us to keep the pressure on them.”

But for the final 10 minutes of the game, Virginia did what Gait said would’ve exposed Syracuse’s defense — strung passes together to get closer to the goal. The Cavaliers were able to score with two and half minutes left to cut the Orange’s lead to just three goals.

On its final scoring opportunity, Schwab tried to maneuver her way into Syracuse’s zone, but the Orange double teamed, and Schwab was forced to pass. But Sarah Cooper, who Gait said was the heart and soul of SU’s defense, anticipated Schwab’s pass.

Cooper lifted her stick and deflected a pass to Goldstock, who picked the ball up and cleared it for the Orange’s 17th clear of the afternoon. Virginia left empty-handed, unable to close that final gap.

Published on April 10, 2021 at 3:45 pm

Contact Anish: [email protected] | @anish_vasu