Ange Bradley can see it, opponents trying to figure her out.

Other teams would drop behind the ball when her team had possession, trying to condense the space her Syracuse’s field hockey team needed to make plays. To stall and to stop. Louisville and New Hampshire jerseys were scraping orange, sticks would clash, players would fall.

‘They’re becoming more and more physical,’ said Syracuse’s head coach Bradley, about the games as the season progresses. ‘It’s always tougher. People come and they’re looking at you, ‘Oh, this is the No. 3 team in the country.”

It may come with recognition. Syracuse (8-0) is ranked third in the nation. Teams may try to neutralize speed with physical play.

Switching to lateral movements to draw an open field in the stretch, the Orange drew two shutout wins over No. 11 Louisville and New Hampshire this weekend at the J.S. Coyne Stadium. Friday’s 3-0 victory against the Cardinals in front of 257 fans ensured Syracuse’s first 7-0 start in school history. Two days later, SU cruised past New Hampshire, 10-0.

With a one-goal lead over Louisville in the first half, forward Lindsay Conrad decided to test the clogged middle with a pass straight ahead to forward Shelby Schraden alone at the top the arc.

That’s when Bradley noticed.

Schraden turned with the ball and was met by Louisville goalkeeper Heather Bustanoby, who bumped her out of position. Another chance at goal erased.

‘We should’ve had a few more goals against Louisville, and that’s credit to their defense and our offense wasn’t playing good angles,’ Bradley said. ‘We tried to move the ball upfield too often, too early and they just intercepted.’

The scares came too close, too often. Anne-Sophie Van der Post’s drill up the midfield was broken and eventually stolen by Louisville forward Tuli Lim that gave the sophomore a one-on-one against SU goalkeeper Heather Hess. A chance Lim would miss.

Against New Hampshire, the adaptation to an opponent’s strategy was transparent, as Syracuse cruised, 10-0. The Wildcats efforts to choke the Orange offense came early, but SU scored often after two opportunities that slipped.

‘The first two shots in the first 30 seconds went high and wide,’ said Shannon Taylor, the midfielder who had both chances from penalty corners. ‘I wish I could have them back.’

By condensing the backfield during Syracuse possessions, both the Wildcats and Cardinals upped the ante on physical play. But that’s the area where the Orange have the advantage, said backfield Heather Doran.

Both opponents had received green cards in the second half. Loncarica was awarded a penalty stroke in the 13th minute of the second half against New Hampshire, that she slapped low right to make it 7-0.

Although both games were marked by slow starts in the first half, Syracuse scored more goals in the second half on fewer shots.

The two wins draw the Orange closer to a higher bid in the Big East tournament and extends its undefeated winning streak.

‘We trying to set the bar high,’ Taylor said. ‘Now, we’re worried about the Big East and it’s kind of a clean slate. Everybody’s going to be after us.’

edpaik@syr.edu

Published on September 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm