No. 6 Syracuse Tops Women's Lacrosse in Overtime Shootout

At Rollins College, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team (4-2) came within one point of completing a momentous overtime comeback against No. 6 Syracuse (8-2).

Despite facing a 10-6 deficit in the first half, the Crimson fought its way back to tie the score at 16-all and force an overtime period. However, that come-from-behind effort proved fruitless, as the Orange nabbed a final score to escape with a 17-16 victory in Winter Park, Fla.

“Since the beginning of the season our team goal has been to win the Ivy title,” sophomore attacker Caroline Garrity said. “Losing in overtime to Syracuse...was tough, but it will not distract us from our focus.”

The Saturday game was underscored by aggressive play from both Harvard and Syracuse, with nine yellow cards (four by the Crimson and five by the Orange) and 57 fouls (25 by Harvard and 32 by Syracuse. Physical tenacity led to sloppy offense at times, as the two teams combined for 18 turnovers.

Even so, the contest sparkled with flashes of drama.

With less than a minute remaining on the clock, Syracuse scored to take a 16-15 lead. However, the Crimson responded with sophomore attacker Nicole Baiocco tying the game and completing a hat trick with seconds left to play. These late heroics forced the sudden-death period.

Despite Harvard’s best efforts, though, the Orange triumphed with 2:20 remaining in overtime. The heart-wrenching result was a 17-16 win for the top-10 Syracuse team.

Overall, the Crimson led the Orange 32-24 in shots on goals, forcing 16 Syracuse saves. By contrast, Syracuse forced junior goalie Meredith Brown to make seven stops.

The Crimson defense was crucial for the regulation-time comeback. Harvard was 13-for-13 in clearing its zone, squashing critical opportunities for scores. Also, the Crimson boasted an 11-7 advantage in ground balls, with senior defender Emma Ford leading the charge with four scoops.

The second half started fast as Harvard and the Orange traded goals. Captain Megan Hennessy and junior midfielder Julia Glynn each scored to narrow the Syracuse lead to 12-8. A pair of Syracuse scores threatened to reopen the chasm, but senior captain and attacker Marisa Romeo responded with two of her three goals on the day within minutes of each other to bring the score to 14-10.

With 14 minutes to play, the Crimson faced a four-goal lead. And playing with renewed energy, Harvard closed that gap, scoring six more goals in regulation to force overtime.

Several players recorded standout performances. Romeo’s third goal meant a fourth consecutive hat trick n. During the final minutes of regulation time, Glynn also recorded a hat trick and sophomore midfielder Keeley MacAfee nabbed two goals to level the match at 15-15.

Despite the Orange having the draw control advantage 18-16 over the Crimson as well as causing three turnovers for Harvard, the Crimson caused two turnovers and McMahon won seven draw controls while senior midfielder and Hennessy collected four.

The match started in exhilarating fashion as Harvard and Syracuse opened scoring early. The first goal of the match came from Syracuse less than a minute into play. Then three minutes later, senior captain and attacker Maeve McMahon got the Crimson on the board with a first score.

Back and forth the match continued in the opening period until the two teams stood at a 3-3 impasse. Then came a barrage of Orange offense. Syracuse pressed ahead with a flurry of shots and mounted an 8-4 lead during the first half. Although Harvard got within 8-6 thanks to two goals from Baiocco, Syracuse scored two more times before halftime for the 10-6 advantage.

“Such a heartbreaking loss only confirms that we are a very competitive team,” Garrity said. “[The loss] makes us even more determined to work harder to achieve our goal.