Everything was on track. The Syracuse women’s lacrosse team had won eight of nine games heading into its April 27 matchup at Cornell. Senior Leigh-Ann Zimmer became SU’s all-time leader in goals and points. SU was ranked in the top 15 with a 9-3 record.

Then came the longest game in SU women’s lacrosse history.

‘That was the game I was worried about,’ SU head coach Lisa Miller said. ‘(Cornell) played good teams like Dartmouth and Yale tight. I knew they would be a problem.’

Looking to clinch a tournament berth, the Orangewomen were upset by a 4-8 Big Red team in four overtimes, 13-12. The momentum continued four days later when SU lost at Notre Dame, 13-11, in a game in which SU could have clinched second place in the Big East and a tournament berth.

Now, the season in which SU was supposed to make it past the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time ever can only be salvaged by a win Saturday at No. 4 Loyola.

‘We could still make it into the tournament, but Vanderbilt and Yale would both have to lose,’ Miller said. ‘We have to beat Loyola to avoid the debate in the NCAA selection committee.’

Against Cornell, SU scored five straight goals to finish the first half up five, but a second-half comeback by the Big Red put SU on the ropes. Zimmer, who had six points in the game, scored in the first six-minute overtime, but Cornell would come back again, scoring with 1:30 left in the period.

The format then switched to sudden death in the second overtime, and SU would outshoot the Big Red 3-0 in the next two periods. But Cornell’s Kristen Smith completed the upset, scoring with 1:39 left to play in the fourth overtime.

‘We came flat in the second half and we lost focus,’ Zimmer said. ‘We want to come out and we want to play well against Loyola.’

Zimmer, who had seven points against Notre Dame, became SU’s single-season points record-holder against Cornell. She now has 68 points, 11 more than Katrina Hable’s 57 in 1999, the previous record.

Miller said that Zimmer still hopes for a tournament berth.

‘She’s a senior and our best player,’ Miller said. ‘Our seniors are trying to will us to win.’

‘It’s my last season, and I obviously want to make it to the tournament,’ Zimmer said. ‘I am trying to do whatever I have to do to get it done.

‘We can go far in the tournament. I look at the players who are out on the field every single day and they are just amazing players. I know that if we play our game, we can beat anybody.’

The help is needed because SU’s second leading scorer, junior Monica Joines, was held to two points against Cornell and no points against Notre Dame.

‘(Notre Dame) definitely keyed on me, I needed to get myself in there,’ Joines said. ‘Against Loyola, I just need to get points early and assert myself as being a scorer.’

The No. 15 Orangewomen (9-5, 4-2 Big East) might be able to capitalize on the Greyhounds (13-3). Loyola is 1-2 in its last three and is coming off a 12-7 home loss against Maryland.

‘We’re just as good as Loyola,’ Zimmer said. ‘We just need to go out there believing it.’

Published on May 5, 2004 at 12:00 pm