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TOWSON, Md. — With 14 minutes left in the Final Four matchup between Northwestern and Syracuse, the Wildcats began to come back. In the next seven minutes, NU scored four times to cut SU’s lead to three scores.

Northwestern midfielder Sammy Mueller charged down the 8-meter in an attempt to chop down on Syracuse’s lead even more. Mueller shot, but Asa Goldstock’s stick halted the attempt, igniting the Orange’s next possession. On the other end, Meaghan Tyrrell scored her team-high fifth goal of the game to give SU a four-goal lead with just over six minutes left in the game.

Goldstock’s save — one of 10 she made on Friday — proved to be a momentum swing in Syracuse’s favor. The save against Mueller halted No. 2 seed Northwestern’s 6-1 scoring run and catalyzed No. 3 seed Syracuse’s own 6-1 scoring run to punch its ticket to the national title game. The Orange held Northwestern to its fewest goals since last February when Syracuse defeated Northwestern 16-11.

“We were thrilled with that defense leading the way,” head coach Gary Gait said. “Our offense did what we had to do, and … overall, it was just a great team effort top to bottom.”

The Wildcats were undefeated entering Friday’s matchup, defeating Duke in the quarterfinals by 12 scores to advance to their second consecutive Final Four. In the regular season, Northwestern averaged over 20 goals per game — the best mark nationally by almost three goals. Junior attack Izzy Scane entered Friday tied with Boston College’s Charlotte North for the most goals in the country with 94, and senior Lauren Gilbert sat in eighth with 65.

In the week leading up to the Final Four, Syracuse ran Northwestern’s offense in practice, trying various sets to see which ones would work best in the semifinal matchup, Gait said. The Orange settled on a high-pressure zone, attempting to block the Wildcats’ attacks inside the 8-meter. It proved effective. 

After Lindsey McKone scored her 26th goal of the season to put Northwestern up 1-0, the Wildcats added just three more scores in the opening half. This first half total was the lowest Northwestern has had all season, as Goldstock threw her body in front of most shot opportunities.

“In the first half (the defense was) lights out,” Meaghan Tyrrell said postgame. “I think they definitely frazzled the Northwestern offense. They haven’t really had that much frazzlement throughout their season.” 

Midway through the first half, Gilbert had a free position opportunity, but she was stuffed by Goldstock. A minute later, Goldstock stopped Gilbert’s second shot, this time from her knees, to maintain Syracuse’s lead. 

The Orange limited Scane to just two goals in each period— and Gilbert to one score and no assists. It was just the fourth time this season that Scane had notched fewer than five goals, and her four goals against Syracuse were below her season average of just over six per game. 

In the second half, Northwestern started to change its approach on offense. Scane attempted to weave through Syracuse’s zone, and with no room available, she took a hard push from Sam Swart as Goldstock stopped her shot. While a foul was called on Swart, Northwestern’s Jane Hansen turned the ball over on the ensuing free position attempt, and Kerry Defliese scooped up the ground ball. 

“Scane had seven points, but normally she has seven goals and we held her to four,” Gait said. “She’s a tremendous player and amazing, but our defense was dialed in, and it was a team effort. It wasn’t a shutoff. It wasn’t a face card. It was just great team defense.”

Asa Goldstock recorded 10 saves against Northwestern, the fourth time she’s notched double-digits in saves this season. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

Moments after Scane drew the foul, Goldstock did a full split while saving a shot from sophomore attack Dylan Amonte, allowing the Orange to clear and set up their offense. Despite allowing nine goals in the second half, Goldstock finished the afternoon with a 43.5% save percentage. Her 10 saves were the second-most she has recorded in a game over the last two months. 

Now, Syracuse is just one win away from its first national championship in school history. The Orange’s defense was able to contain Northwestern’s attack, but the Orange have to prepare to defend North, the top goal-scorer in the ACC. 

North scored five goals on April 22 in the Carrier Dome to hand SU just its second loss of the season. But in the latter matchup of the doubleheader, the Orange held North scoreless for just the second time this season in a 16-7 victory. SU has already tried different sets against North, something that it will do in the title game, Gait said. 

“We have one really successful game against her, and we’ll use multiple defenses and face cards and no face cards because she is a super dynamic player,” Gait said. “Much like Scane, we’ve got to not give her open, easy shots.”

Published on May 28, 2021 at 9:41 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_