STORRS, Conn. – As No. 3 Syracuse assembled for its final corner attempt during Sunday’s Big East Championship, the scoreboard read all zeroes. There were no goals for either team and no time left on the clock. But because the referee had whistled the penalty before the running clock had expired, the Orange had one final play to steal a title game victory.

Sophomore back Maggie Befort slid an entry pass to the top of the circle. Facing a charging Connecticut defense, freshman midfielder Martina Loncarica gained possession of the ball and found sophomore forward Lindsay Conrad with room to shoot.

Conrad blasted a shot toward the far post that Befort recovered and deflected past a stunned UConn keeper.

‘Lindsey couldn’t have sent me a more perfect shot,’ Befort said. ‘I didn’t have to do anything; I just had to lay my stick there. I couldn’t even tell you if I saw it.’

The goal gave Syracuse a thrilling, 1-0 victory in the Big East Championship Sunday at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex. The win was the team’s first Big East championship since 2001 and snapped UConn’s streak of four consecutive tournament titles. The Orange (20-1) also avenged its only loss of the year, a 1-0 defeat to the Huskies Oct. 18.

With the win, Syracuse clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament. The Orange will learn its opening round opponent Tuesday night, and will play its first tournament game this weekend, likely at home.

‘It was unbelievable, and a dream come true,’ head coach Ange Bradley said. ‘It was awesome. All the championships I’ve been a part of are exciting, but this one is really special.’

After the goal, Bradley raced to join her team already immersed in celebration. The coach – decked in all blue – disappeared into a bouncing sea of orange and white, emerging to lead the team in its rendition of ‘We are the Champions.’

The euphoric scene echoed by chants from friends and family crowding the sideline, was a far cry from the brutal match the Orange had just survived. A game which saw Syracuse on its heels for nearly 70 minutes, trying to withstand a relentless UConn attack.

The Huskies (17-3) outshot the Orange 18-6, with a 10-6 advantage in penalty corners. It was only the second time Syracuse had been out-shot this season.

‘Today it’s quite ironic that we’re the ones that were bitterly disappointed,’ UConn head coach Nancy Stevens said following the game. ‘We completely dominated and came up short.’

The Connecticut attacking trio of Lauren Aird,Melissa Gonzalez and Jill Kleeblad proved vigilant all game, pressuring the Syracuse defense.

Only seven minutes into the game, Aird led a UConn counter into the Orange’s circle, firing a pass along the goalline that nearly found the back of the net after hitting the stick of a surging Huskie forward.

Two minutes later, UConn was back inside the Orange’s circle. Aird fired a shot at a diving Heather Hess, which deflected out in front of the goal. After a pack of Huskies swarmed the live ball, a grounded Hess remained aware, neutralizing several rebound attempts.

Hess, Big East goalkeeper of the year, delivered one of her finest performances of the season, tallying nine saves.

‘She did an awesome job, and she’s done an awesome job all tournament,’ senior midfielder and tournament MVP Shannon Taylor said. ‘She is the backbone. We see her making these great saves. It’s kind of the start of our offense; it’s momentum to keep going down the field.’

The first half saw the Orange take a beating similar to their previous meeting with UConn. Syracuse’s main scoring threats – Shannon Taylor, Lindsey Conrad and Martina Loncarica – were swarmed by the Huskies defense, combining for only five shots Sunday.

As the game wore on, the Orange looked more comfortable. Senior forward Tracy Dietrick started the first half by bulling over a Connecticut defender in an attempt to cut toward the circle. Taylor then forced her way through the Huskies defense and tallied two shot attempts in the first two minutes of the second half.

With seven seconds left to play, the referee signaled a corner, after a UConn defender touched a dead ball intended for change in possession, resulting in an obstruction, and a Syracuse corner.

The corner led to a stunning Syracuse goal, and a Big East title.After an impromptu meeting in the conference room following the match, Stevens congratulated Bradley and said, ‘Man, I hope we’re not in the same region (for the NCAA tournament).’

‘I know,’ Bradley replied with a laugh. ‘But I have a feeling it might be three times.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on November 9, 2008 at 12:00 pm