Not even four minutes had passed and a yellow card had already appeared. Just like that, Syracuse had an opportunity to take advantage of a Louisville team down one player. And it did.

Freshman Alyssa Murray buried a strike into the net for a free-position goal to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead. With that goal, Murray foreshadowed what would be the Orange’s main offensive constant in the game: free-position shots.

‘I think the team just really capitalized on all their free possessions that we had today,’ said midfielder Sarah Holden, who scored six points in SU’s 11-10 win Thursday over the Cardinals.

Although the story of Syracuse’s game was about the final rally the Orange made to win the game, those four straight goals at the end were made possible by the Orange’s success with free-position shots earlier. SU was perfect on the night, going 3-for-3 in that area and taking advantage of Louisville’s three yellow cards.

The game was a physical one, and as the Orange offense struggled to formulate goals in the early going, it relied on shots like Murray’s laser into the net to provide the scoring. Lindsey Connell and Kirkland Locey had the other two free-position goals for the Orange.

‘Certainly it wasn’t our best effort over 60 minutes,’ SU head coach Gary Gait said. ‘It’s a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities they got.’

And the Orange had to take advantage of those shots when defenders weren’t flying in its face. Each team had 25 fouls, and the intensity of the game made shots hard to come by.

SU attack Michelle Tumolo had predicted the physicality before the game even began.

‘We’re both fighting for a spot, so there’s going to be blood,’ Tumolo said. ‘It’s going to be like war.’

Every time a Louisville player received a yellow card, a Syracuse player followed with one if its own. The difference was that unlike the Orange, Louisville only capitalized on half of its free-position shots.

And for the Orange, its free-position goals game at crucial moments. Early on, the Cardinals grabbed a 3-1 lead, causing SU to call time with 16:32 left in the first half. Locey followed the timeout with just her second goal of the year on a free-position goal that kept Syracuse in the game.

Holden, who tied for a game-high in points, also said that on most of her free possessions she was able to pass down low to a wide-open Tee Ladouceur, who had three goals on the day.

‘I feel good,’ said Ladouceur, who has battled knee issues all season. ‘As a senior I only have a limited time left, and I want to make the most of it.’

The attack did just that, tallying two of her three goals in the Orange’s furious final comeback. But taking advantage of free-position opportunities are what ultimately put SU in a position to make that final push.

On a day when the offense wasn’t at its best, going 3-of-3 in free-position goal opportunities was a necessary aspect of the win. And those goals that lead to wins like Thursday’s are what will put the Orange in a position to make the Big East tournament, with a better chance to make the NCAA tournament.

‘I want to make the Big East,’ Ladouceur said. ‘I want to go past the Big East. I want to go all the way. The harder I work the harder the team is going to work and the better we’re going to be as a team.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

Published on April 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu