BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) NCAA Division I Championships on Long Island!

Just a reminder that you can purchase tickets for the NCAA Women's Division I Semifinals and Championship, May 25th & 27th now!

Tickets are selling quickly so don't delay

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National semifinal action kicks off this evening at Stony Brook University as the #1 Florida Gators take on the #4 Syracuse Orange with face-off scheduled for 5:30pm.

Following that pairing with an 8:00pm draw, the #2 Northwestern ladies square off with #3 Maryland.

The semifinal winners will meet for the National Championship in Women's Division I Lacrosse on Sunday evening at 8:00pm at LaValle Stadium.

The best in women's lacrosse will be covered all weekend here on BOTC.

Down 13-8 with 7:19 remaining, the Syracuse Orange scored five unanswered goals to level the score at 13-13 with 0:30 remaining. With 0:11 remaining, Syracuse had a chance to win the game in regulation however Sarah Holden was stopped by Mikey Meagher from the Florida Gators.

The game will move to overtime.

Florida is led by Shannon Gilroy with five goals. The Orange is being led by Alyssa Murray and Michelle Tumolo with three scores each.

... And Syracuse completes the miracle comeback. Sarah Holden scores the game winner in the second overtime which saw the #4 Orange oust the #1 Florida Gators to move onto the National Championship.

Game #2 sees #3 Maryland leading #2 Northwestern 5-4 at halftime. Katie Schwarzmann drew first blood in the second stanza to put Maryland on top 6-4 with 27:09 remaining. Northwestern's Kara Mupo and Amanda Macaluso net one each to square the score at 6-6 with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Northwestern takes the lead, 7-6, with only 18 minutes remaining on a goal from Lacey Vigmostad assisted by Shannon Smith, her fourth assist of the match.

Northwestern is the second qualifier to the National Championship as they oust Maryland, 9-7.

Syracuse (4) vs. Northwestern (2) will be Sunday evening at 8:00pm at Stony Brook University for the Division I crown.

LETS GO GARY GAIT !!!

Press Releases : Syracuse Rallies from 7 Down and Upends No. 1 Florida in 2OT

No. 4 Syracuse came back from a seven-goal deficit to defeat No. 1 Florida, 14-13, in double overtime in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship on Friday, May 25 in Stony Brook, N.Y. The Orange advances to the championship game for the first time in program history where it will face No. 2 Northwestern.

The victory marked the first time the Orange (19-3) has defeated a team ranked No. 1 in the nation in 16 tries. Syracuse also set a single-season record with its 19th win of the year.

Senior Sarah Holden (Marcellus, N.Y) scored an unassisted goal 58 seconds into the second overtime period to complete the second-largest comeback in the tournament's history. Holden tied her career with four goals.

Brittany Dashiell scored her fourth goal of the game as the Gators (20-3) equaled its largest lead of the day at 12-5 with 17:15 to play in regulation. Freshman Devon Collins (Rochester, N.Y.) started Syracuse's comeback when she scored on an assist from junior Linley Block (Stratham, N.H.) off a clearing attempt. Junior Michelle Tumolo (Mullica Hill, N.J.) and sophomore Alyssa Murray (West Babylon, N.Y.) followed with unassisted goals to cut the deficit to 13-8 at the 7:49 mark. Shannon Gilroy briefly halted Syracuse's scoring run with her fifth goal of the night with 7:19 on the clock, which put the Gators back up by five, but that would be Florida's final goal of the game.

Holden and Murray accounted for the final five goals of regulation, and Holden's free position goal with 30 seconds remaining tied the score at 13-13. The Orange had a chance to win the game with 11 second remaining, but Gators' goalkeeper Mikey Meagher stopped Tumolo's free position shot to force overtime.

After neither team scored in the first three-minute session of overtime, Florida appeared to have recorded the go-ahead goal with nine seconds remaining in the first extra session, but it was disallowed due to an illegal stick. The Orange regained possession and ran out the clock to force a sudden-death second overtime period.

Freshman Kailah Kempney (Carthage, N.Y.) won the draw to give the Orange possession. Syracuse took the ball into its offensive zone and Holden worked the ball around the right side and put a low bounce shot past Meagher for the game-winner.

“It (overtime) was all in slow motion,” Holden said. “I remember we were in our first set offense and the goalie went down and made a save (on my shot) and I was certain that it would not happen to me again. So I did a split/dodge and buried it low and it went in. It was an amazing feeling.”

Syracuse never led in the game until Holden's game winner. Florida jumped out to an early lead and three consecutive goals by Gilroy, including one with 15 seconds remaining, gave the Gators a 7-3 lead at intermission.

“At halftime, the players came together and they didn't give up,” said Syracuse head coach Gary Gait. “We talked about believing and we did it last week so we believed we could do it again. With a little bit of luck, drive and heart we were able to come out on top. It is an amazing feeling to come out on top. This kind of heart never gives up. I'm very proud of them.”

Tumolo led the Orange with five points (3 goals, 2 assists), while Holden and Murray finished with four goals apiece. Sophomore Katie Webster (Syracuse, N.Y.) and freshman Devon Collins (Rochester, N.Y.) added two goals each.

The Orange outshot the Gators, 43-24, and picked up 19 ground balls compared to six for Florida. Both teams won 16 draw controls. Sophomore Alyssa Costantino (West Islip, N.Y.) made two saves in the first half, while freshman Kelsey Richardson (Memphis, N.Y.) had four saves, including one on a shot by Gilroy with 3:52 remaining to keep the Orange within striking distance. Meagher finished with 15 saves for Florida.

The Orange goes for its first national championship on Sunday, May 27 when it takes on No. 2 Northwestern at 8:00 p.m. The game will be telecast on ESPNU.

Press Releases : No. 3 Maryland Falls to No. 2 Northwestern in NCAA Semifinals

Despite a gutsy, three-goal showing from Katie Schwarzmann, No. 3 Maryland fell to No. 2 Northwestern 9-7 in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship Friday.

Maryland (19-4) fell short of the title game for the first time since 2009. Schwarzmann finished the match with three goals, bringing her season total to 72 and tying the fifth-highest mark in Terrapin single-season history. Kristy Black, Karri Ellen Johnson, Kelly McPartland and Brooke Griffin all added one goal apiece.

The Terps wasted zero time getting its offense running with a goal only 11 seconds into Friday's rematch of last season's title bout. Griffin put the Terps on the board first off a nice assist in transition from Black.

The two teams exchanged goals for the opening 12 minutes of the match until Northwestern managed a two-goal spurt to gain its first lead of the game with 15:16 left in the first half. Maryland would counter with three unanswered goals to cap the first stanza and begin the second. Schwarzmann netted two and Johnson accounted for the other in Maryland's biggest run of the game.

NU (20-2) then recorded the longest scoring stretch of the game with a time-consuming 4-0 run and managed to secure possession for a 12-minute span in the middle of the second half before obtaining an 8-7 lead. Taylor Thornton netted an open-net, free position goal to cap the game's scoring at 9-7.

Maryland managed only one draw control in the second stanza and a mere five in the match.

The Terrapin defense was stout once again but was burdened by a season-high six yellow cards, including three down the final stretch. Senior Brittany Dipper tallied five saves in the cage. Iliana Sanza was in the middle of another spectacular postseason performance with three ground balls and two caused turnovers before being served a second yellow card with 16:19 remaining in the game.

"Congratulations to Northwestern and Syracuse ... I'm looking forward to seeing a great game for the national championship," head coach Cathy Reese, who's squad advanced to its fourth straight NCAA semifinal this season, said. "The main difference was draws. We did a better job in the first half, but couldn't get free. One thing we should have done better was finish our opportunities."

Friday night's contest was the collegiate finale for Johnson, Black, Dipper and Bria Phillips. The Terps will return nine starters from this year's squad in 2013.

It is so great that these games are being played here on long island, lacrosse at the very highest college level. Attended both these games and they were great. Going back for final tonight. If you have daughters who aspire to play college ball, you need to get them to see these games, just an awesome opportunity right in our own backyard!

Championship Halftime Score : Northwestern 5, Syracuse 4

Time Remaining : 16:00

Northwestern 6, Syracuse 5

Syracuse Goals : Webster, Murray, Kempney, Cross, Holden

Northwestern Goals : Smith (2), Fitzgerald, Macaluso, Bocklet, Russo

Final Score : Northwestern 8, Syracuse 6

Was so look forward to watching the conclusion of a great contest of two highly skilled and athletic teams. Unfortunately, I think one of the biggest drawbacks to the game is that officials take over a game. It was the same thing a couple of years ago in which Northwestern lost when the officials took over the game.

I am not a supporter of either team, but the game was being officiated well tonight when all of a sudden it became an embarrassment. These games should be decided by the players on the field. There is no need for referees to insert themselves into the game.

Two examples of this, was that while the ball was in play, the officials stopped play to let a Northwestern player tie her shoes. How can an official do that. There was not a dead ball. This is not PAL but a NCAA Championship game. Did it matter in the game, absolutely not. It was just an embarrassment that it happened. That would never happen in any sporting event. The reversal of circumstances when Northwestern had a free position shot at the end was another example of the officials inserting them in a way that was not necessary. The one ref single handedly ended the game.

Congratulations to Northwestern. However, the NCAA needs to limit the referees inserting themselves into the game. It is not about and never should be about the refs.

So happy for Northwestern!Glad my kid is now with Top Guns, you girls fought and played your game, great stuff!!

I couldn't agree with you more! They are making the game unwatchable! The final * minutes took almost an hour to finish by the time these self absorbed ref's finally finished their show! The subjectivity of the rules gives the ref's way too much control over the outcome of the game. It is irritating to say the least, o watch the over ephasis of calls and the circus they promote. These ref's take themselves way too seriously! Let the GIRLS decide the game! No one is there to watch you ref!! The BEST ref's are the ones you don't notice! The ref's are getting worse and worse because the old school women's lax guard are afraid the game will become more like the boys game! FYI. The boys game is better!!!Maybe it isn't such a bad thing. That doesn't mean putting helmets on the kids either!

Besides the ref, the lack of a shot clock made the game drag. Like watching paint dry. I understand why NW was doing it, and the rules allow it, but yawn.

I think if it was any other player they would not have let her tie her shoe

not sure I get this just curious but do a lot of the girls on NW come from the top gun travel teams ,

No I believe they were are Yellow Jackets. I think one of them did not play for any club.

No, there was no TG team around when they were of age. But now a bunch of them coach for TG so the TG girls were thrilled to see their coaches play.

Forget the shoelace, how about the non call with the hockey type hip check inside the 8. How was that not a red card? And how about the ref on the sideline coming out on the field , calling a time out and then yellow carding Gary Gait when he walks on the field?

The "shoelace incident" was because a Syracuse player stepped on the back of her shoe and her shoe came off. It was not that her laces came undone.

Glad my kid is now with YJ after watching all those former YJs tear it up in the semis

Gary Gait screwed that up bad (Finals). He admitted it in his press conference. Don't pin that on the ref or the player getting ejected either. There were a few bad calls from refs both ways, I agree. But as a player or a coach you can't lose your cool and disrespect them, you will pay for it. There were many questionable calls in the Semi round that got Cuse to the finals in the first place, the teams live and die by the refs calls. I felt the officiating in the final was good and had little impact on the outcome, The Florida/cuse game is the one that had me scratching my head.

NU has had a very distinct game plan the last several years. When they play regular season games against non top 10 teams, they play fast paced, up tempo ball, often putting high teen scores up, just like Syracuse, Florida and Maryland. Against top 10 teams they slow it down and treat every possession with great care, they control the tempo of the game and take the challengers out of their game (except FL this year), and then stall the end of the game if they have the lead. KAH is a genius at the gameplanning. Controlled tempo and stalling may be boring to watch but it is deadly effective towards winning games. Obviously KAH knows when something works, you don't win 7 of the last 8 D1 championships without good gameplanning. Can't believe FL didn't stall the ball with such a huge lead so late in the game. Had they imployed this tactic they would have won the semi easily. It was the most horrendous coaching and field strategy and play I have seen in D1. They are incredibly fast and talented so they will be back next year, but the inexperience showed up huge in that game. So here's the difference- stall, slow game down, upset some fans looking for careless running and gunning, but go home with the championship. I think they are happy to upset a few fans.

The officials are way too much a part of the game. This is three years in a row with numerous conferences. Completely subjective calls that are inconsistent. There is not another sport in which the refs are as noticeable and have an impact.

It seems to be that this is fixable and there would be nothing to stop the popularity of the sport. Unfortunately, the powers to be seem to like that the refs are center stage. If they did not want that, it is easily fixed.

Lastly, some of the rules are antiquated. Again the powers to be need to acknowledge that and change it, but we should not hold our breath.

As an example, there have been many times in various sports in which something occurs that highlights why a rule needs to change. Other sports make a change. Women's lacrosse buries their head in the sand. I was doing a search on a stall in men's lacrosse and came up with a story of a game between UNC and Washington and Lee. W and L used an unique stall on a Saturday game that caught everyone's attention. On Monday, it was ruled illegal by the rules committee effectively immediately. If the same thing happened in women's lacrosse, it would be discussed for years, then possibly a trial.

I wish the players themselves could help set the path for the future. That would ensure that the game could reach its fullest potential.

"Shoelace incident" while having no effect on anything is just absurd. It really does not matter that a Syracuse player stepped on the back of her shoe. If the Syracuse player created a foul by doing that, then make the call. If not, then do not stop play. Could you imagine a NCAA womens basketball championship stopped because a sneaker came off.

The officials can pretty much do whatever they would like to do regardless of the rules. Their mantra appears to be that the call that they make depends on the situation. They only thing that ensures is that there is no consistency.

Not sure what you were watching. i was pulling for NW and felt cuse got screwed! Those ref's were a spectacle. They changed the outcome of the game not handing out the yellow to Thorton!

The ref should have stopped play , issued the green card made her leave the field without a replacement, and restarted the game. NU could have sent another player on , or waited for Shannon , there choice.

NU style of play is not going to help grow the game.I realize they have no obligation to promote the sport and obviously their style is very effective but at some point the governing bodies of women's lacrosse need to adjust the rules to make the game more fan friendly so the sport will continue to grow.

Wether the yellow came out or not, the foul was called and Cuse was awarded a free position, from there SU screwed themselves, illegal stick, coach walking onto field, drawing thier own yellows and taking players off the field, and reverting the play to a jump ball. It was SU disrespect for the refs that changed the outcome for the game. I was there as a LI lax fan, would have been happy with SU winning, but the calls were going both ways and it is more often about how you react to the calls, and the SU players and coaches reacted very badly and it cost them.

Amonte and NU are largely responsible for the the growth and popularity the sport has seen in the last 7-8 years. SU and Maryland also employ the controlled pace and stall, but you have to be winning, win draw controls, GB's and actually have possesion to do it. Florida would likely be the National Champs right now if they learned how to control the game's pace.

A monte and company have little to do with the growth in popularity of the sport but thanks for your make believe fact. The most recent surveys show that the increased opportunities in the sport are what have grown the sport on both the boys and girls side which results in even greater opportunities and thus continued growth.Ask most parents who have young kids just starting the sport and they have little idea who Amonte is other then having an expensive stick named after her.Soccer has never taken off in this country like it has in others in my opinion because Americans like to see run and gun type sports and the stalling method will hurt the sport. Ask anyone who had little rooting interest in either team and they will tell you the finals were unwatchable.

Very true, but I have watched just about every sport and the women's lax ref's are as close as you can get to proffessional wrestling refe's! They are a joke and want to be part of the game. Last years championship game was even worse. The constant stoppage of play with exagerated animated calls is way too much !! No one should be leaving talking about the ref's! It happens almost every womens or girls HS game. I know some of the reason is the poorly structured rules that leave to much too subjectivity, but I have witnessed SOME games with good officiating. It is usually when they let the kids play a bit and not blow the whistle every time a kid trips over their own feet or pretends to get hit in the head. For the most part, for some reason women's/girls lax ref's think the people are actually there to see them REF! The best officials are the ones you don't notice!!!!

Ask anyone who can see all the lacrosse strategies and all the struggles and combats in the matchups, they will tell you it was a great game (with little or no rooting interest). For all the parents who spent years on the sideline screaming "go to goal" I'm sure it was boring for them. As a coach and a parent I am always telling the girls to look for opportunity on a fast break, but if it's not there, slow it down, gain control and get a good look at the cage. Nothing is more annoying than the parents on the sideline screaming for their kids to go to goal. How would you explain America's love of baseball or golf if it's all about run and gun? So if this type of play doesn't interest you, that’s okay, there are plenty of people who can appreciate it.

You have to be kidding me , baseball was dying then came smaller parks ,steroids and home runs, the most watched part of all-star week is the home run derby not the be patient ,good eye competition. Golf popularity was Tiger Woods and is now on the downside.To make the game more popular you need new people to be drawn to the sport not the people who think they are experts on the game like you.Get over yourself with the seeing all the lacrosse strategies , in the end the team with the better players won and the strategies were not very complex.Talk to people who are not already sold on the sport or that think boys lacrosse is thebonly true form of the game and they will tell you that the finals were unwatchable. I guess for such a girls lacrosse strategy expert like you the semi bt Syracuse and Florida must have been brutal and beneath your expert like observations.

Good response. I watch tons of girls lax and anyone who likes sports knows that the end of that game was terrible and unwatchable! There is a reason basketball went to a shot clock, no one wanted to watch 4 corners basketball anymore. The athletes in womens lax get better and better every year. Make the rules so they can showcase the great talent that is being produced ! Lets show the kids talent not the officials ability to change the game and the coaches ability to take advantage of out dated rules!

I enjoyed the SU/FL game just as well. So I'm lucky because I deem it all watchable. I didn't realize MLB and PGA went belly up, I thought I saw some of that on TV last weekend. I guess women's lax is doomed too.