The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Thomas Parry Jr Syracuse midfielder Brendan Loftus is mobbed by his team after hitting the game winning shot

Brendan Loftus wanted to go home. The physical play, the missed shots, the makes or breaks over the course of a lacrosse game. It wears on you.

So when the Syracuse senior midfielder ended it all by scoring the game-winning goal for a 9-8 victory over No. 9 Georgetown in double overtime before 4,921 in the Carrier Dome on Sunday, there was plenty of relief - even if some didn't see it.

Syracuse head coach John Desko only knew his team won when his players rushed onto the field after Loftus' shot flew past Georgetown goalie Miles Kass. SU goalie John Galloway jumped up in the air and finally let out a deep breath during a game where he felt his heart pumping out of his chest.

Yes, it was that kind of game, because No. 5 Syracuse only led after Loftus' score. Before that, the Orange struggled to find an offensive rhythm because of Kass (19 saves) and a poor shooting percentage (8-of-57). All of this came into play despite SU winning overwhelmingly on faceoffs (17-of-21) and on groundballs (57-26).

"That was a hell of a shot (Loftus) made," Georgetown coach Dave Urick said. "I couldn't get a good angle. But there's no way a goalie is going to save that shot."

It took a player like Loftus, a senior who saw a limited role before starting on the first midfield line this year, to bail Syracuse out by throwing a high shot after noticing Kass stopping low ones. Loftus led Syracuse with a career-high four goals - a feat that Desko appreciated after observing his selfless work ethic despite a limited role the past four years.

But Desko and his players were also smiling afterwards because SU hasn't experienced a 3-1 record since its 2004 championship team. With a full head of momentum, Syracuse goes to No. 1 Johns Hopkins, which was recently upset by Hofstra, on Saturday.

"We started off flat," Loftus said. "But this is going to be a huge momentum swing coming into Johns Hopkins next week."

Georgetown (1-2) went scoreless for the last five minutes in the third quarter and most of the fourth quarter. GU midfielder Max Seligmann ended the drought when he shot a high shot in the left corner past Galloway for an 8-7 lead with 1:42 remaining.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools