The No. 18 Syracuse University women’s lacrosse team (10-7, 7-1 Big East) clinched at least a share of the Big East regular season title after a 20-6 victory over the Villanova Wildcats (5-11, 1-7 Big East) at Villanova, Pa. Tee Ladouceur led the way for the Orange offense with a career-high 8 points.
Ladouceur sparked the Orange offense early after netting her first goal at the 29 minute mark of the first half. Sarah Holden followed Ladouceur’s lead by netting two goals of her own. Kirkland Locey, Alyssa Murray, Michelle Tumolo and Catherine Rodriguez all scored after Holden’s two goals, giving the Orange a 7-0 lead at the 12:39 mark. After Villanova’s only goal of the first half, Ladouceur netted two more goals, followed by four more goals scored by Lindsey Connell, Amy Cross, Katie Webster and Tumolo. The Orange closed the first half leading 13-1.
The second half started off with Holden’s third goal of the game, followed by another goal scored by Heather Wentz. Locey also netted her second at the 25:36 mark, and Lauren Welch scored her first of two goals at the 14:08 mark. Taylor Nims also scored two for the Orange, giving it a 20-2 lead at the 5:13 mark, its largest lead of the game. The Wildcats did close the game by scoring four unanswered goals, but it was too late for a comeback.
Even though the Orange was outshot 27-31, it still managed to dominate the game. The Orange recorded 12 saves, ten of those coming from Liz Hogan. Syracuse also had 13 turnovers whereas Villanova had 21. The Orange was also perfect in clears, going 15-of-15. A few bright spots for the Wildcats are the fact that they beat Syracuse in draw controls, 16 to 10, and that they scored off a free-position shot in the second half.
Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said he likes the way his team is playing towards the end of the season.
“The players challenged themselves. We’re making plays,” Gait said,” We have enough game experience that the game has slowed down for our freshman and sophomores.
“The first half of the year, they were making mistakes when they had opportunities to make plays. Against Loyola, they made the plays when they had to and took control of the game. That comes from the experience they’ve had through the first part of the season.”
The Orange will play in the Big East tournament Thursday, May 5 at Georgetown, with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
