Orange women’s lacrosse must get creative in preparing for new program Louisville
Liz Hogan has always been accustomed to studying game film. Prior to each game, the sophomore goalkeeper spends her afternoons and nights analyzing countless clips of her team’s upcoming opponent.
But Hogan didn’t have that luxury this week. Footage of Louisville women’s lacrosse team has been relatively scarce, considering this is only the program’s second season in existence and first in the Big East conference.
The uncommon predicament has forced Hogan and the No. 7 Orange (6-2) to rely on alternative forms of preparation going into its game against the Cardinals.
‘We can’t really do what we don’t know about,’ Hogan said. ‘We’re going to try and watch some game film later on, but really we’re going to be focusing more on us this time around. It’ll just be best to look at what we can improve upon.’
Syracuse’s showdown with Louisville (6-1) Friday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome will mark the first-ever matchup between the two programs. The Orange enters the conference game with a 1-0 record in Big East play, the lone victory coming against Connecticut on March 14.
The lack of footage of the Cardinals hasn’t completely prevented Syracuse head coach Gary Gait from assembling his typical game plan. In order to gain information about the neophyte program, Gait resorted to other, unconventional options.
‘He’s been talking to other coaches about them,’ SU junior defender Eileen Finn said.
Gait isn’t taking the game against the up-and-coming Cardinals lightly. After watching No. 1 Northwestern trounce his team, 19-8, last Sunday, Gait suppressed his laid-back demeanor and embraced a more authoritarian role during Thursday’s practice, holding the team for an extra 20 minutes.
‘Our last game was not successful,’ Gait said. ‘This gives us an opportunity to get back on the field and prove we’re better than that. It’s an opportunity to bring a new opponent, get back on the field and get that loss out of our system.’
And Gait expects that conversion to begin against Louisville. In an effort to rectify past mistakes, he challenged his players to evaluate themselves this week, hoping to expose and improve upon their flaws.
A majority of those hindrances have been attributed to the lack of communication between Hogan and the defensive unit. As a result of those troubles, Gait implemented a drill that required players to yell at one other when calling for a loose ball.
‘We got a little away from our defense that we had in the beginning of the season for whatever reason,’ Hogan said. ‘These past few practices we’ve been coming out really strong. We’ve refocused our group and really looked at what we want to accomplish. Now, we’re taking it back to the basics to make sure we’ll be ready to go against Louisville.’
Gait has clearly placed the onus of improvement on his players’ shoulders. Earlier this year, the Orange was projected to be a viable contender for a national championship.
So far, the squad hasn’t lived up to Gait’s expectations. Syracuse has struggled to stay in the game against superior competition, dropping decisive games against Virginia and Northwestern, both top-5 ranked rivals that are also expected to contend for a title.
‘There’s some disappointment and frustration,’ Gait said of his team’s mentality. ‘It’s how you respond to that. We’ve talked about it and worked on it. We got players who are looking to respond in positive fashion, recognize things they can improve on, and put in an honest effort to improve the team.’
Returning home should bode well for Syracuse. Last time the Orange dropped a match, it rallied to net 17 goals against then-No. 10 Boston University in the ensuing game. In addition, Friday’s game will also denote the first time the Cardinals will trot onto the Carrier Dome turf, which the SU players feel is an advantage for the Orange.
‘A lot of people say (the Dome) the hardest place to play,’ Finn said. That’s comforting for us. We love playing in the Dome. Plus, we’ve been all over the place, so not traveling so much will be nice. I expect us to be completely focused in the (Louisville) game.’
