Maggie Befort arrived late to the 2008 Field Hockey Championship selection show, but took only one look at the bracket before delivering her prediction.

‘Obviously,’ Befort said, ‘I think we can go all the way.’

Befort, like the rest of the No. 3 Orange, is brimming with confidence heading into the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday where the team will take on No. 17 Massachusetts (17-4) at 11:30 a.m. at J.S. Coyne Stadium.

Syracuse (20-1, 5-1 Big East) is riding a momentum boost following a last-minute victory over Connecticut last weekend to clinch the Big East crown. The confidence is justified. SU has the best record in the NCAA, the highest goals per game average, and comprised nearly half the All-Big East tournament team. Five of the 11 conference all-stars were Orange players, including Big East MVP Shannon Taylor – a testament to how far the program has evolved in just one season.

‘We’ve come such a long way,’ head coach Ange Bradley said. ‘We were out there Easter Sunday in the snow and the cold training and running, and it’s a credit to my staff and these kids’ dedication to the program.’

However, Bradley said this past week has been all about getting her team mentally prepared, as Syracuse approaches its first NCAA tournament game in seven years – the last being a 6-0 loss to Maryland in the 2001 Quarterfinals.

The Orange will take on UMass, a team it notched a victory over on Sept. 28, but in a game that Bradley referred to as ‘the team’s first loss.’

In the September matchup, the Orange got off to a typically strong start, but allowed the Minutewomen to rally within one goal in the game’s final minutes before fending them off. The four goals Syracuse surrendered to UMass are the most given up by the team so far this season.

‘UMass is a tough team,’ Bradley said. ‘(The last time we played) it was a tale of two halves, we dominated the first half and they dominated the second, so it’ll be a matter of which team has improved the most – it’s going to be a very physical game.’

The near deadlock between the two teams has not lessened in the months following their September matchup either. Since that game, each team has lost only one game, both to highly regarded Big East opponents. UMass dropped a 3-2 overtime game to Providence on Nov. 1 and Syracuse fell to No. 5 UConn 1-0 on Oct. 18.

Although UMass had to win a playoff game against No. 19 Kent State in order to clinch a spot in the tournament, the Minutewomen are a stronger team in the national scene than its seeding appears. The team ranks in the top 25 in goals per game, goals against, margin of victory, shutouts, winning percentage, and both points and assists per game.

‘They probably believe they can play with us,’ senior midfielder Shannon Taylor said of UMass. ‘But it’s just a matter of whether or not we can string together two good halves, and play 70 good minutes.’

Taylor and the rest of the midfield will likely key on UMass senior forward Katie Orlando, who leads the Minutewomen in goals with 14 – two of which came against the Orange in the two teams’ previous meeting.

Bradley and the team had Monday off but were back practicing Tuesday for what could be a taxing game ahead on Saturday. In the meantime though, players are grateful to be in the tournament itself. One aspect of it is simply surreal.

‘It’s so weird,’ Befort said, hiding away from a sea of reporters on Monday. ‘I never thought I could fill out a bracket on myself.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on November 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm