After a two overtime thriller at SU Soccer Stadium, Georgetown defeated Penn, 13-12, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. No. 5-seed Syracuse (15-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) will face the Hoyas (12-8, 3-2 Big East) for the first time since the Orange joined the ACC in 2013. SU is coming off a squandered upset bid against then-No. 1 Boston College, where it gave up four unanswered goals in a 14-13 defeat during the ACC tournament.

Here’s what to know about the second round matchup.

All-time series: Syracuse leads 8-7

The last time they played: In the 2013 Big East championship, Syracuse dominated Georgetown, 14-7. Kayla Treanor, the Orange’s all-time leading goal scorer, netted six goals, and Kailah Kempney, SU’s all-time leader in draw controls and older sister of Braelie Kempney, tallied four points. Kelly Cross, sister of midfielder Julie Cross, also scored a goal in the win.

SU went on to win two games in the NCAA tournament before falling to No. 1-seed Maryland, 11-10. The Orange haven’t faced the Hoyas in six years since their annual meetings in the same conference.

The Georgetown report: Georgetown is led by senior midfielder Francesca Whitehurst who has tallied 72 points (41 goals, 31 assists). As a dual-threat, she sets up attack Taylor Gebhardt and Morgan Ryan who have 95 combined goals, almost 40% of the team’s scoring production. GU is in the bottom half in shot percentage but in the top-30 for shots per game. On defense, it focuses on the zone, similar to the Orange with constant slides and rotations.

“Georgetown’s gonna play a zone defense for the most part,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “That’s what they’ve played most of the year.”

Its most impressive statistic is a .906 clearing percentage which is best for eighth in the NCAA. The Hoyas commit 14.2 turnovers per game, top-20 in the nation, against a defense that features the ACC freshman of the year in Sarah Cooper, who leads in the Orange in caused turnovers. Like Syracuse, GU has relied solely on one goalkeeper in senior Haelie Chomo whose save percentage (.415) is a little worse than SU’s Asa Goldstock (.429).

How Syracuse defeats the Hoyas: Against Penn on Friday, Gebhardt was almost unstoppable. The senior attack had seven goals on 11 shots with more than half of the Hoyas scoring production. Syracuse has a history of allowing top scorers to dominate them — like Boston College attack Sam Apuzzo’s seven goals and nine points that led a comeback against the Orange in the Carrier Dome on Feb. 16. Limiting Gebhardt to her average of under three goals a game will be key to the Orange making it past the second round.

SU has only struggled once this season against an unranked opponent — its season finale against Cornell — but for the most part, it has dominated teams with lesser talent.

“There’s been a lot of focus on ourselves, which isn’t too different than any other situation,” SU junior attack Emily Hawryschuk said. “But us having to practice against either man or zone and not knowing exactly what we’re gonna get (is key).”

The Hoyas have the most votes outside of the Inside Lacrosse top-25 poll, and they’ll play like a top-team. But the Orange have a deep backline and a bonafide star in Emily Hawryschuk to rely on if it were to get down early.

“I think this year the team’s in a good place mentally, they’ve had a good solid season, and they’re feeling good going into the playoffs,” Gait said. “And I think if they execute on our game plans, we’ll be fine.”

Stat to know: 4

Georgetown has four 30-plus goal scorers. The Orange only have one in Emily Hawryschuk. Though Gebhardt dominated in the first round, Georgetown spreads its offense out more than SU and doesn’t usually rely on one attack. If Gebhardt or possibly Whitehurst were face-guarded, the Hoyas have options outside of their two stars.

Player to watch: Taylor Gebhardt, No. 10, senior attack

Playing in central New York isn’t new for the Hoyas’ top attack. A native of Baldwinsville, within a 20-minute drive of SU Soccer Stadium, Gebhardt hasn’t played in the NCAA tournament until this season. In Gebhardt’s first year in 2016, Georgetown went 6-11. Now coming off a win in the first round and her most important performance as a Hoya, she’ll be the key for Georgetown to pull off the upset.

 

Published on May 11, 2019 at 10:44 am

Contact KJ: kjedelma@syr.edu | @KJEdelman