Syracuse faced top ranked offenses and fell flat due to poor defense

The Daily Orange – The Independent Student Newspaper of Syracuse, New York

Virginia head coach Julie Myers used her postgame press conference on March 5 to offer Syracuse some advice: Before facing heavyweights Maryland and Florida, tighten up the middle of the defense.
Though SU defeated UVA 16-15, the Cavaliers exposed cracks in the Orange’s leaky defense. Syracuse needed to overcome a nine-goal first-half deficit to maintain its then-perfect record. SU head coach Gary Gait had attributed falling behind early to a lack of energy, but opponents exploiting the Orange’s weakness up the middle has become commonplace this season.
“It was a great lesson for us,” Gait said. “You have to show up to every game mentally prepared and focused.”
In the following three contests, the cracks widened and the goals poured in. No. 8 Syracuse (8-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) allowed 17 goals to No. 1 Maryland, 19 to No. 3 Florida, and 16 to unranked Harvard and finished 1-2 in that span. SU has dropped each of the past two weeks in the rankings as a result of the losses caused by a porous defense.
The Orange employs a zone defense meant to suffocate opposing attacks that excelled in its first four games of the season. SU easily dispatched unranked Boston College, Canisius, Binghamton and Massachusetts.
“Historically, we like to play high pressure defense,” senior defender Haley McDonnell said. “We want to get you off your tilt.”
Crisp slides and constant communication are normal indicators of Syracuse’s defense success. Recently, those signs are absent. Against Maryland on March 11, SU’s zone broke just 26 seconds into the match. Terrapin’s midfielder Jen Giles sidestepped Natalie Wallon and drew in three defenders. Kali Hartshorn backed down SU’s Kelsey Youmell, and beat Asa Goldstock to give Maryland a lead it never gave up.
Goldstock has struggled this season, and SU’s lacking defense has not made it easier on the freshman. Opposing attack penetrate so far ...

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