In a game that failed to showcase Syracuse’s skills as a team, freshman Katie Webster did her job.

She did so even if the rest of her team was not as successful at executing Gait’s game plan. His team was supposed to hold onto the ball and wait for scoring opportunities to present themselves.

The rest of her team did not execute, but Webster stood out Sunday for SU.

‘The great thing is she listened to the scouting report on the goalie and knew that she came out, stick up high,’ Gait said. ‘And Katie had success because she went from high to low on some nice bounce shots and put the ball in the net.’

In Sunday’s 21-11 loss to No. 12 Virginia, Webster shined while the rest of her team faltered. Although Syracuse was blown out, the freshman led both teams with six goals and two assists.

For the rest of the Orange, it was not a problem with specific players or any one set play. It was an issue of the team working together.

And Sunday, the young team was not able to connect passes and score goals.

‘We just didn’t come together as a team and get the job done,’ Gait said.

Yet Webster stood out as an offensive force while the veteran scoring pair of senior Tee Ladouceur and sophomore Michelle Tumolo combined for an unimpressive two goals.

As the game progressed, the freshman Webster gained more confidence as she was able to drive to the goal with more regularity. Only weak transitions from defense to offense kept Webster from getting even more chances up top.

Prior to Sunday, Webster had scored three goals in two games. Her breakout performance brought her total to nine. Because she is a freshman in the beginning stages of her season, she said she was still searching for a certain level of confidence.

It was not until the second half of the Virginia game that she really hit her stride, scoring four of the team’s six goals in the half. The Syracuse native watched SU lacrosse games when she was young, so it meant a lot to find such success in the Carrier Dome.

‘After this game, it gave me a lot of confidence,’ Webster said. ‘The first half, I didn’t really take it to the goal. I was nervous and didn’t think I could. Then second half, I tried to take it to the goal more and keep my head up.’

Webster did not get much help from the team’s transition offense. The move from defense to offense was riddled with turnovers, whether passes went astray or players dropped the ball. Syracuse only completed four of seven attempted clears, whereas Virginia cleared nine out of 10.

Defender Lindsay Rogers said a lack of communication prevented the offense from being more effective. The problem was not simply with the defenders, she said, but with the team as a whole on defense.

‘Low D needs to communicate to the midfielders,’ Rogers said. ‘We just need more talk.’

As Gait moves forward from the game, he will focus on helping his team come together to move the ball up the field successfully. This will start with cutting down on fouls, particularly ones that turn over the ball or set up opponents to score. Gait said teamwork will be an important factor in the team’s next two weeks. The Orange doesn’t play again until March 12. Transition and communication will both benefit from play as a more cohesive unit.

The goal when Syracuse next takes the field at Maryland will be to get the ball up to the offense so people like Webster can score. Gait said he would have liked to have seen that Sunday.

‘I wish she had 15 more opportunities,’ Gait said. ‘It would have been nice.’

alguggen@syr.edu