Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/24/13
From Press Release and Staff Report
Syracuse’s pursuit of its first national championship continues tonight when it takes on No. 1 Maryland in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament semifinals. Opening draw is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Villanova Stadium. The first semifinal features Northwestern and North Carolina at 5 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can also listen to the live broadcast on WJPZ 89.1FM in the Syracuse area and on Orange All Access free of charge. Click here to buy tickets.
The Orange, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, enters the game on a 13-game winning streak, which has improved its record to 18-3. The Terrapins are undefeated this season with a 21-0 record.
ORANGE AGAINST NO. 1
Syracuse will take on the No.1-ranked team in the national semifinals for the second consecutive year. The Orange registered its first-ever victory against the top-ranked team in the nation when it beat Florida 14-13 in last year’s semifinal. SU is now 1-15 against the No. 1-ranked squad.
PHILLY CONNECTION
Syracuse has two Philly players in the starting lineup and another as a key reserve. Junior midfielder Amy Cross (Upper Dublin) has 15 goals, four assists and 17 groundballs. fellow starter and junior defender Kasey Mock (Pottstown) has 19 groundballs and 16 caused turnovers. Freshman midfielder Kelly Cross (Upper Dublin) has 16 goals, six assists and 15 groundballs as the team’s top scorer off the bench.
Senior Michelle Tumolo (Clearview Regional, NJ) is the other Philly grad, but the pre-season All-American tore her ACL after the 12th game and is out. She had 22 goals and 24 assists this year.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ORANGE
Syracuse defeated Florida, 13-9, in the quarterfinals last weekend in the Carrier Dome to advance to the Final Four for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in the past six years.
Junior Alyssa Murray and freshman Kayla Treanor lead the Orange offense. Murray has amassed 103 points this season on 63 goals and a team-high 40 assists. Treanor leads the team in goals with 67 and ranks second in points with 89. Both are the highest single-season totals for a freshman in school history.
Senior Becca Block anchors the Syracuse defense, which has held its opponents to less than 10 goals in the last 13 games. She leads the squad in ground balls (44) and caused turnovers (30). In addition, Block has 72 draw controls, which is the second-highest single-season total in school history.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
Maryland defeated Duke, 14-9, in the quarterfinals to advance to the national semifinals for the fifth consecutive year.
The Terrapins have two Tewaaraton Award finalists in Alex Aust and Katie Schwarzmann. Aust is Maryland’s leading scorer with 119 points. She has 67 goals and 52 assists, both team highs. Schwarzmann, the 2012 Tewaaraton Award winner, has 78 points this season on 54 goals and 24 assists. Kasey Howard has started all 21 games in goal for the Terps. She has an 8.14 goals-against average and a .439 save percentage.
Cathy Reese is in her seventh season at the helm of the Maryland program. The 2010 IWLCA National Coach of the Year has guided the Terrapins to a record of 119-11 and one national championship.
THE SERIES
Syracuse and Maryland will meet for the 14th time and second time this season on Friday. The Terrapins own a 12-1 advantage in the series. The two squads have met twice previously in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland won both of those contests.
