Syracuse Men's Lacrosse Loses Overtime Heartbreaker to Maryland
In a thrilling lacrosse matchup between the #5 Syracuse Orange and the #4 Maryland Terrapins, fans were treated to an intense battle that went down to the wire, ultimately ending in heartbreak for the Orange.
The game began with Syracuse striking first, courtesy of Luke Rhoa, setting the tone for what would be a back-and-forth affair. Maryland quickly responded, leveling the score with an impressive and-one goal. Despite Syracuse's efforts, including a failed 2-minute full-time penalty, Maryland surged ahead, embarking on a 4-goal streak to take a commanding 5-2 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw a defensive standoff, with both teams experiencing shot clock violations. However, Syracuse managed to hold Maryland scoreless in the quarter, narrowing the deficit to 4-5 heading into halftime.
After the break, Maryland once again found the back of the net early, but Syracuse clawed their way back into the game, led by Luke Rhoa's two crucial goals. With stellar saves from Syracuse goalie Will Mark.
“It’s a tough position because I can’t go out there and grab it. It’s a lot of me waiting and being patient for my opportunity to make a impact. The biggest thing I focus on is my mental game, staying right mentally, trying to be patient, just trying to see the ball and give those guys a chance to score.I just need to be better at the beginning and end of the game.” Goaltender Will Mark spoke on his role.
The Orange managed to tie the game at 6 apiece midway through the third quarter. Syracuse then surged ahead, taking a 7-6 lead, their first since the early stages of the game. By the end of the third quarter, Syracuse had a narrow 8-7 advantage, with standout performances from Michael Leo and Luke Rhoa.
The final quarter saw both teams trading blows, with Syracuse managing to edge ahead 12-11. However, Maryland fought back, equalizing the score at 12-12, forcing the game into overtime.
In overtime, Maryland seized the momentum, securing possession off the face-off and capitalizing on a scoring opportunity to seal the victory with a 13-12 final score. Despite a valiant effort from Syracuse, including a disputed diving goal that was ultimately waved off, Maryland emerged victorious in a thrilling contest.
"The ball was well in the net well before he slid into the crease, but there’s guys all on top of him, his right hand was in there (Goal Mouth) when he pushed himself to get up. It was a tough call," said Coach Gait on #7 Michael Leo’s game-winning goal that got called off. "Speaking to coach Tillman after, we got some things to do to clean up the replay rule. I think there’s work to be done. There’s been several times already this year, in a young year where the refs have come to me and said the player was pushed in the back but were not allowed to make that call off review."
Syracuse will now turn their attention to their upcoming matchup against Utah next Wednesday inside the JMA Wireless Dome at noon.
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