The Syracuse women’s lacrosse team continued its masochistic ways last night. For the second straight game, the Orangewomen came out slow, trailing by as many as seven goals in the first half.

Unlike Saturday’s game, though, a second-half rally was not enough for the No. 7 Orangewomen, as they were defeated, 14-11, at the Carrier Dome against No. 2 Maryland. SU pulled within one goal with 5:29 remaining in the second half, but a crease violation helped seal Maryland’s win as the Terrapins scored twice in the last 3:30.

Sophomore midfielder Melody Agnew appeared to tie the game as she sneaked across the front of the goal with 4:29 left, but the referee ruled she was in the crease. Maryland’s Delia Cox would tack on the final two of her game-high six goals after that.

‘This is a tough game,’ Syracuse head coach Lisa Miller said. ‘Our rules are not black and white, they’re relatively gray. Sometimes the referees have to operate in a gray area and they make the best call they can.’

‘(My feet) were clearly outside the crease,’ Agnew said. ‘You can’t do anything about it now. It was the ref’s call, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.’

Sophomore goalie Jennifer Kasel started her second straight game but was pulled with 16:01 left in the first-half after SU fell behind, 6-2. Freshman Bethel Steele was put in during an SU timeout, but only played seven minutes, letting in three goals. She made one save in her college debut.

A calmer Kasel returned to play the rest of the game, making three big saves down the stretch to keep the Orangewomen in the game.

‘In the first-half we didn’t pressure Maryland’s attack enough and we gave them wide-open looks,’ midfielder Monica Joines said. ‘We needed to protect (Kasel) more. In the second-half, Jen really shut down their offense though.’

SU shortened a large scoring gap for the second straight game. The Orangewomen made up five goals in a 15-minute span in the second-half by applying continuous offensive pressure. They also converted on four of seven on free-position shots.

‘If we can come back that way, we can (compete with the top teams in the country),’ Miller said. ‘If we just fix some things, we’ll be there at the end of the season. We’ll be there with Maryland.’

The difference in the first-half was Maryland’s transition game. The Terrapins moved the ball up the field and moved into the attack faster than SU.

Again, the Orangewomen couldn’t solve powerhouse Maryland, a team they’ve never defeated.

‘One of these days we will win,’ Miller said. ‘They’re just so tough. They started playing back in the 70s, so hopefully we’ll catch them. I’ll be dead if it takes that long.’

Published on March 3, 2004 at 12:00 pm