An obscure rule almost cost the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team the game – twice.

When officials called senior Monica Joines for having illegal equipment early in the second half and caught senior Courtney Palladino for the same penalty later on in the half, it looked as if the officials succeeded in breaking momentum Syracuse strained so hard to build.

But in a game that was back and forth for its entirety, the No. 17 Orange managed to overcome the officials’ ruling, and a late comeback attempt by No. 13 Cornell, to hang on for a 9-8 win last night at the Carrier Dome in front of 301.

The penalty on Joines came at an inopportune time for Syracuse, as it frantically tried to take the lead after coming back from a one-goal deficit early in the second half. Maggie Fava, the Cornell goalie, asked the officials to check Joines’ stick after Joines scored with 18:54 left. Sure enough, a test ball stuck in the pocket of the stick after officials turned it upside-down. Officials ruled the crosse illegal, thus negating the goal. It would have broken a 6-6 tie.

‘Apparently, their pockets were too deep,’ said Syracuse head coach Lisa Miller. ‘It’s a call that you rarely see because everyone out there pretty much concedes that all the sticks are illegal. Every goal would be called back.’

Fortunately for the Orange (7-2), it ended up not needing Joines’ goal. Syracuse scored three more goals in a row, the last coming from junior Meghan O’Connell, her third of the game. Syracuse was leading 9-6, and it was all the scoring SU needed.

The penalty on Palladino was less costly as it came during a stoppage of play.

‘I felt like I was back in (age) 9-10 lacrosse,’ Joines said. ‘I was like, ‘no, don’t check it.”

Before the second half, no team held a lead greater than one goal. After trailing by one at halftime, Cornell seized momentum with a goal by senior Kristen Smith with 27:30 left in the second half. It looked like the Big Red had a firm hold on the game 11 seconds later when freshman Courtney Farrell scored her fourth goal of the game.

The Big Red (4-4) again grabbed the momentum late in the second half, scoring two goals with less than five minutes left to bring CU within one of the Orange. But the comeback attempt started too late for Cornell. Syracuse controlled the ball for the final two minutes, passing around the field to avoid desperate Cornell defenders.

‘These are the kinds of games that you enjoy playing in,’ Palladino said. ‘But it’s tiring when you’re going back and forth.’

While Cornell expected Syracuse to play at a fast pace, the Big Red’s midfield trap and physical play actually slowed the Orange down in the first half. Whenever SU managed to break the trap and force the ball up field, Cornell’s defense immediately set. The Big Red rotated with ease, making Syracuse slow the tempo, pass the ball around and try to set up goals.

It wasn’t until Cornell defender Annie Berkery was issued a red card less than 10 minutes into the second half the Orange could consistently break through the Big Red defense. Once Berkery took her place on the sideline, SU went on a four-goal run.

Berkery’s red card was one of three in the game.

‘I always enjoy playing against Cornell because you never know what’s going to happen,’ Joines said. ‘We held our own this year.’

Published on April 5, 2005 at 12:00 pm