Yes, BC pressured Syracuse effectively all over the field and made them make mistakes they don't normally (to that degree) make and definitely bothered them when shooting the ball. However, I strongly disagree that BC won because it's a "little bit better of a team than Syracuse is".Seacoaster(1) wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 9:34 amRespectfully (and sorry in advance; I said all this before to a troll who once occupied these threads like the dusty cobwebs in Miss Havisham's old house), I just don't really see the world of sports -- particularly college sports involving young people -- in this way. I didn't see a "choke" by Syracuse, and the notion that this "was the year for them to win it all" is pretty close to ludicrous given the regular season win by BC when they met head to head the first time. Syracuse occupied rarified air, for sure, and it is one of the top three or four teams in the country in 2023. BC was and is the better team: better defense, better between the thirties, and with enough octane and composure to score and win on a day when things weren't necessarily clicking. In my view, BC's magic is that composure, which emanates from its excellent coaching staff and astounding level of big game experience among its core group of players. Syracuse didn't choke; it was beaten on a neutral field by a team that was a little bit better than it, a little more composed than it, and a team that deserved this win. The "Syracuse choke job" narrative only really diminishes the achievement of BC, and I won't sign up for that.thedisciple516 wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 5:20 am What a choke job by Syracuse. How the hell do you let the same team humiliate you in the exact same way they did just a few weeks ago?
This was the year for them to win it all. Best offense in the country (talent wise), defense and goaltending much better than expected, down years for UNC and Maryland. Recruiting doesn't seem to be knocking it out of the park either compared to the BC, Marylands UNC's of the world either.
I don't know if Trainor has "it" as a coach like Acacia-Walker does. Even as a Syracuse fan I'm so impressed by how her teams play. SU was the (slightly) better team today but BC won on hustle, determination, and never say die attitude. The way they harrassed Syracuse all over the field had a huge impact on the game.
Syracuse two MVPs also failed miserably today. A little freshman faceguarding you shouldn't be able to completely take Meghan Tyrell out of one of the most important (and potentially last) game of her career. Sweitzer was useless in goal and couldn't see anything. Her only saves (like 3 of them) came from shots right at her. Newsflash... the primary job of a goaltender is to stop shots not galivant up the field on clears.
Again so impressed by BC's intangibles and ability to overcome adversity. I don't think this Syracuse team has that in them. Go beat Northwestern for the ACC I guess.
And the "little freshman face-guarding" MT? This also diminishes that kid's performance. It is clear, to anyone watching BC over the last few weeks, that this freshman is a terrific athlete, with excellent foot-speed and footwork, world class speed, composure, and very good skills with the stick. Her single job was to remove MT from any impact on the game. Why not give her the credit she is due, rather that diminish her with this childish moniker?
Almost all the stats majorly favored Syracuse. Syracuse had more shots, more draw controls, more caused turnovers, more ground balls, and just created more opportunities than BC did but failed over and over again to capitalize on the offensive end. BC turned the ball over a whopping 20 times and had only 17 shots (11 shots on goal) compared to Cuse's 13 turnovers (3 of which were bad clearing errors) and 28 total shots (14 shots on goal not including Nat Smith's pipe shot). Emma Tyrrell and Olivia Adamson (both of whom are normally excellent finishers) had some wide open goal-scoring opportunities and failed to deliver. Meaghan Tyrrell was not assertive at all but in fact was very indifferent/lazy when it came to trying to break free of the faceguard and create opportunities for her teammates due to the pressure BC was putting on her. However, her biggest detriment to her team was her failure to back up missed shots over and over again, which immediately gave the ball back to BC after the SU defense worked their butts off to get their offense the ball back. I've been one of her biggest supporters on this site but she most definitely did not play like a tewaaraton finalist in this game or the JMU game (she shot the ball wide or right at the goalie's stick/body every time). Honestly felt like she lost some of her scoring/shooting prowess this season. She shot at a 56% clip in 2021 for 68 goals and a 60% clip for 78 goals in 2022 in comparison to this season where she only shot 48% while scoring 55 goals... pretty significant decline.
I do agree that BC has a ton more composure than SU does... however, I think most teams have more composure than SU does. Syracuse beats itself more often than other teams actually beat them. At least that's my perception of them and I've been following them since 2012.
It was fun to see 14 contribute down the stretch. I’m mostly proud of her effort and growth in all aspects of a tough freshman year. I understand that playing sports while attending a top college is a privileged opportunity, but few really know first-hand the commitment and sacrifice made by these young women perform at a high level in all aspects of college life.