Orange Routs Women's Lacrosse

After facing the Orange, the Harvard women’s lacrosse players were left with a sour taste in their mouths.

The Crimson (2-4) succumbed, 23-12, to No. 11 Syracuse (6-3) Sunday afternoon at Jordan Field, marking its third straight loss to the Orange in as many matchups.

Setting the tone early, Syracuse snagged the lead in the first half, pushing past Harvard, 4-1. The Crimson quickly regained its momentum, with sophomore Kaitlin Martin and junior Natalie Curtis each finding the net to cut the Orange’s lead to one goal.

During the 14th minute of the game, Syracuse went on a three-score run, moving past Harvard, 7-3.

The Crimson tried to turn it around, taking a shot that Orange goalie Amber Pardee-Hill knocked away. But Harvard kept up the pressure, and 15:06 into the half, Curtis slammed in a stick-side goal off of a pass from Martin, cutting the lead to three.

Again, Curtis wove through the Syracuse defense on her way to the net, but a whistle on the Orange slowed her down. Taking a shot with 13:32 on the clock, Curtis launched one in, continuing the Crimson’s offensive run to move within 7-5.

Reclaiming control, Syracuse finished off a shot that bounced off the post 19:54 into the first to extend the Orange lead to 8-5. Syracuse continued to fire shot after shot, netting five goals in the last seven minutes of the half.

At the start of the second, Harvard looked like it could be on its way to a comeback, as Martin hammered one into the back of the net to bring the score to 13-7.

But Syracuse maintained control of the game, blowing by the Crimson on a four-goal run to widen the gap to 17-7.

Harvard traded points with the Orange, as Martin pounded in another shot and junior Ali Hines slammed in two of her own, carrying the Crimson to 18-10. Yet Syracuse continued to dominate, taking off on another four-score run to double Harvard’s tally, 22-11.

Junior Caroline Simmons hammered in a shot, moving Harvard within one, but it was too little, too late. With 29 seconds left in the game, Syracuse found the net one last time, clinching its 23-12 victory over the Crimson.

Harvard hopes to come back against Denver as it heads west on Tuesday.