Syracuse heads to its third consecutive NCAA Women’s Final Four after a 13-9 win over Florida on May 18 in the Carrier Dome.
Freshman Kayla Treanor [13] scored two goals in the opening minutes of the second half, giving the Orange a permanent lead.
"I just got an opportunity and got a matchup I wanted and just went to goal," Treanor said. "It was a good feeling to come out in the second half and get us on the board."
It was a battle of the goalkeepers in the first half, with SU's Kelsey Richardson [14] and Floridas' Mikey Meagher [15] both recording six saves. Syracuse (18-3) took an early 2-0 lead on goals by Kayla Treanor and Katie Webster, but after two straight yellow cards on the Orange, Florida (18-3) scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead midway through the first half.
A goal with 8:34 remaining in the first half ended an almost 18-minute scoring drought for the Orange, and they tied the game 4-4 going into halftime. Going into the game, both teams averaged a combined 30 goals per game.
The Orange got off to a quick start in the second half with two goals by Treanor, who finished the game with three goals. The Gators quickly answered with a goal by Nora Barry [16], but Katie Webster [17] converted a free position to put the Orange back up by two with less than 20 minutes to play. The Orange then took their largest lead of the game with Devin Collin [18]’s second goal with 9:08 remaining in the game. Florida scored twice in a span of 40 seconds with under two minutes to play, but they were unable to convert in the final minutes.
In their last meeting, Florida got the best of the Orange defense, winning 14-10. But this game was a little different. Syracuse was able to limit the scoring opportunities of Florida’s fourth-ranked offense, and has now held their opponents to ten goals or less in their last eleven games.
“We worked on a game plan all week and we came out and executed that really well today,” said Becca Block.
In the closing minutes of the game, Michelle Tumolo [19], who suffered a torn ACL a little over a month ago, was able to enter the game and get a few touches.
“She wanted an opportunity to say good-bye to the Carrier Dome and the fans, and our players worked hard to make sure she got that opportunity,” Head Coach Gary Gait said. “They wanted to make sure she could step on the field and finish her career here.”
Syracuse plays the University of Maryland on Friday night at Villanova University. Despite an earlier loss to the Terrapins this season, the SU is confident about its chances.
“We’re a different team than back in February,” Alyssa Murray [20] said,” and I think it’s going to be a great game again and hopefully we’ll be able to get back to the National Championship.”
