SPORTS BRIEF: Season-opening road trip to upstate New York leads to loss for women’s lacrosse against No. 13 Syracuse

The Harvard women’s lacrosse team wanted to start the season out on the right foot with a win at No.13 Syracuse on Saturday. And the Crimson appeared poised to do just that as junior Liz Gamble scored a game-high four goals against the Orange.

However, Harvard would come up short amidst an offensive onslaught by Syracuse, losing 15-9 in its first game of the season.

Throughout the first half, the Crimson (0-1) had no solution to the Orange offense, giving up eight goals in the first half. Caitlyn Dragon drew first blood for Syracuse (1-0), scoring off an assist from teammate Megan Mosenson, to give the Orange the early lead. Soon after, freshman Kaitlin Martin returned the favor. On a free position shot, Martin scored her first intercollegiate goal to even up the game at one goal apiece.

That was the last moment at which both teams were tied.

The Orange went on offensive overdrive, scoring three goals in a span of 5:55. Two goals came from Kathryn Rowan, who would go on to lead Syracuse in scoring with four shots during the day.

Harvard managed to slice the deficit to two goals. Natalie Curtis, unassisted, slipped the ball past goaltender Jen Kasel, bringing the score to 4-2.

But the Orange would not allow the Crimson to come any closer in the first period when it went on another offensive dash. The duo of Gaddy Fortune and Jill Depetris blasted a total of four goals, two apiece, past Harvard goaltender Kathryn Tylander to increase the lead to six goals as the half ended.

Down 8-2 in the second period, the Crimson needed something to jolt its sluggish offense. Yet, no help came. The run for Syracuse continued to 5-0 as Megan Mosenson scored the first goal of the second half.

Harvard attempted to come back, closing within five as Gamble and Caroline Simmons scored on free positions to make it 9-4 with 24:15 left.

But the Syracuse offense, grasping tighter onto its lead, mustered another 4-0 run to cushion its advantage to 13-4. As the separation lengthened, the Crimson tried to claw back into the game and countered with a four-goal run of its own.

The scoring flurry, however, was too little too late.

Two more goals from Gamble did little damage as the Orange cemented its victory with two more goals of its own, bringing the game to a close.

The Crimson looks to right itself before its home-opener against Holy Cross on Thursday at Jordan Field.

—THE CRIMSON STAFF