Syracuse at Louisville Preview
It's officially time for Syracuse Women's Lacrosse second double header. If these two games are going to be anything like the first double header against Notre Dame, we'll be in for a wild ride. By the way...Notre Dame losing to UNC by 1 goal? That was unexpected.
Let's start with a little recap, and then talk about where we're going. Syracuse stands at 9-1 on the season, the only loss coming from a gruesome 6-17 loss against UNC, which makes the fact that Notre Dame only lost by 1 all the more concerning. But that's a post-season problem.
After the beat down Cuse took by UNC, they won 15-10 against Georgetown. A win is a win, but in my opinion, that wasn't the best lacrosse Syracuse was capable of. They had a great first half and went on a 10-0 run, which was great. But then they let Georgetown go on a 7-0 run, which was not so great. But they came out of the match with another tally in the W column.
Then, the Orange took on #7 Virginia which got a little scary at some points in the game, which was credit in large part to UVA's goalie making 18 saves. Goldstock also didn't have her best day, posting 4 saves and allowing 12 goals. Still, that combination was not enough to slow down Cuse and then won 15-12 on a late scoring run. The bad news is they usually don't play a full 60 minutes. The good news is their best minutes are normally at the end of the game. I'll take it.
Most recently, Cuse went up against Albany and had an all-around confidence-boosting day. Syracuse scored the first 12 goals of the game. Meaghan Tyrrell tied her career high with 7 points (5G,2A). Megan Carney followed behind with 5 goals and 1 assist (those girls really are scarily in sync). Emma Ward recorded a career-high 7 points on a goal and six assists. Goldstock wasn't challenged much, but the shots Albany took, she saved. She had a shutout in the first half and Cuse gave Hannah Van Middelem the remaining minutes in the half- she had 5 saves and 6GA. A great team win, and it'll put Cuse in a good mental space heading into this weekend.
The logistics: Cuse is headed to Kentucky where they will play Louisville on Friday at 3pm and Sunday at 12pm-both games are slated to air on the ACCNX. Louisville is 5-7-0, and most of their losses were dished out by ACC teams. Among the ACC teams that Louisville lost to: Virginia, UNC, BC, Notre Dame, and Duke. The truth is, Syracuse should win both of these games relatively easily.
That being said, I will point out one thing about Louisville's schedule that I think is worth shedding some light on. On March 26th and March 28th, Louisville went up against Boston College- it's one of their double headers (and one of ours, by the way). On March 26th, Louisville took BC to OT and lost 13-14. On Sunday, BC steamrolled Louisville 3-18. What a difference.
For Louisville, I think this means they struggle mentally and have a difficult time bouncing back from a loss. It could mean that if Syracuse wins once, the second will will be easier.
However, let it also be a message to Syracuse. They could steam roll Louisville the first game, and then the second game Louisville unexpectedly brings the heat. The best thing Syracuse can do in this double header is expect the unexpected. There isn't any one player on the Louisville team who I don't think they can hold down. The biggest challenge this week will be a mental one. It'll be playing a team twice and playing a full 120 minutes in the process.