Maryland eliminates Syracuse from tournament

Syracuse’s season ended in disappointing fashion on Sunday as Maryland (12-4) defeated the Orange (15-2) 6-5 in overtime of the NCAA quarterfinals.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON: The Orange trailed 5-4 with 65 seconds left and managed to force overtime when Jovan Miller drove down the left side and scored. SU won the ensuing faceoff and called timeout with a chance to win in regulation. The Orange called a similar play for Miller, but this time, his shot sailed high and it was stopped by Maryland goalie Niko Amato. The game went into overtime, and with 32 seconds left, Maryland ran a double-screen for Grant Catalino, who drilled a 10-yard shot past John Galloway, ending Syracuse’s season.

WHAT IT MEANS: So many times, Gillette Stadium has been a haven for Syracuse lacrosse. The Orange won it all here in 2008 and 2009, but it wasn’t the case this year, as the Orange failed to advance in the quarterfinal round for the first time in 25 games — a streak that dated back to 1981. The win was also a bit of revenge for the Terps, who were ousted by the Orange in the 2009 quarterfinals as SU went on to win the title.

STAR GAZING: The Orange was led by a trio of seniors. Jovan Miller and Jeremy Thompson each had a pair of goalies, while goalie John Galloway notched 11 saves. As for Maryland, Amato finished with nine saves while Scott Larue scored twice.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I’m happy with how we played, we just couldn’t get the possessions. I thought maybe on the fast break at the end good things were going to happen and it didn’t, so I think it was a good game plan on their part.” – SU head coach John Desko.

WHAT’S NEXT: Maryland will face defending national champion Duke in the NCAA semifinal next Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Duke defeated Notre Dame, 7-5, earlier in the day.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.