Michelle Tumolo tried to confuse the defense. As Devon Collins wrapped around the net,
Tumolo attempted one of her patented fake tosses, looking to make a play to spark a stagnant Syracuse offense.

Loyola (Md.) goaltender Kerry Stoothoff was not fooled.

Tumolo stepped from behind the net onto the left doorstep of the goal and spun away from a defender toward the net for a point blank shot, but Stoothoff made the save, knocking over Tumolo and leaving the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year lying on the ground.

‘Tumolo, (Alyssa) Murray, (Sarah) Holden,’ Stoothoff said. ‘You could just keep naming people. But I just wanted to be patient and not jump on those fakes and just really stand my ground.’

Nearly halfway through the second half, the Syracuse offense found itself in the doldrums. More than 20 minutes into the second half, one of the nation’s most potent offenses had just four goals.

In total the second-seeded Greyhounds held an Orange offense that averaged more than 15 goals a game to just seven as Loyola (13-5) captured the Big East championship against top-seeded SU 13-7 in the Carrier Dome on Saturday. Syracuse (16-3) entered the weekend scoring the fourth most goals per game in the nation with 15.82, but was held to single digits in both its 7-6 semifinal win over Georgetown and its championship loss.

The Greyhounds handed Syracuse its first loss since Feb. 29, snapping the Orange’s 15-game winning streak.

‘Their defense is very good,’ SU head coach Gary Gait said. ‘They’re very physical, they’re on your body, they put a lot of pressure on you. But I think we had our opportunities and we didn’t take advantage.

‘When you watched us play it didn’t look like a Big East undefeated playing out there today, it looked like a team that hadn’t been together for a little bit.’

Normally dynamic attacks Tumolo and Murray were held to just five combined points.

The two frequently misfired when trying to connect in the first half.

Murray tried passing from behind the net to a wide open Tumolo, a normally easy pass. But the pass was too casual and Loyola defender Kellye Gallagher, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, stepped in to intercept the pass.

‘The depth defensively (was key),’ Loyola head coach Jen Adams said. ‘They really grinded it out. They played tough matchups today. I have so much respect for those Syracuse players. They are a high-powered offense, but I think we’re able to match them and really make them earn any opportunity they had at cage.’

The offensive struggles became so frustrating that the normally levelheaded Orange sideline earned a yellow card for arguing with an official following a shot attempt by Tumolo.

Tumolo argued she was fouled during a shot and when a member of the bench joined the argument, Gait was shown the yellow card.

SU’s offense did come alive a bit during the end of the game with three goals over the game’s final eight minutes, but by then it was too late. The Orange had dug itself too big a hold to climb out of this time.

For the second straight game, a Big East opponent had figured out SU’s offense. Each time Syracuse made a run, but the slow starts are something the Orange can learn from going into the NCAA tournament.

‘You can be No. 1, be undefeated, be all that, but you still have to show up and play and execute,’ Gait said. ‘It’s a lesson that we’ll take moving forward and we’ll hopefully learn from it and be more prepared and ready and focused to play the next opponent.’

dbwilson@syr.edu