With a simple clap, Makaela Potts told the story of an afternoon full of frustration for No. 9 Massachusetts and its All-American.

But the gesture wasn’t one Potts made in passing. It was one stemming from pent-up frustration. Potts clapped mere inches from referee Brian Hope’s face following a yellow card, almost mocking him. Seconds later, Potts threw her gloves violently to the ground as she was relegated to the sidelines for five minutes.

The team’s leader in points had spent the last 40 minutes running all over the field in an attempt to draw her team closer. And the Minutewomen (8-3) were almost there. They were almost all the way back from an embarrassing 3-0 deficit to start off the game

But in Hope’s mind, Potts’ blindside tackle of SU’s Heather Susek was too physical, and as a result No. 6 Syracuse capitalized on the penalty, scoring two more times to put the game out of reach, winning 5-2. Without Potts on the field, the Orange (11-1, 2-1 Big East) was able to get back on track and regain its form from the first 15 minutes for its most impressive win over a Top 10 team thus far this year.

Syracuse also defeated another Top 20 team, No. 20 Albany (8-3), 1-0 Sunday.

‘She was all over me, we were pretty much going at it, and then I stepped into the space, and she plowed me over,’ said sophomore forward Susek, who had four points on the day. ‘I was going for the ball; it was kind of loose and out of control. I jabbed in there and got it, and then she took me out.’

The ensuing five-minute advantage for the Orange served as time to get the squad back on track. Back to the ‘beautiful hockey’ they were playing at the beginning of the game, head coach Ange Bradley said. With each minute, the passes became crisper, tackles sharper. And all Potts could do was watch.

When Potts returned with 12 minutes left in the game, it was simply too late. Seconds after she found her way within the heap of players near the UMass goal, SU junior forward Shelby Schraden scored, effectively putting the game out of reach. Syracuse was on its way to victory.

Again, as if she was still inhabiting the penalty box, all Potts could do was stare. This time glaring at her goalkeeper, seemingly upset.

‘When you have a player like Potts on your team, she’s a game changer, she can control the field,’ Bradley said. ‘After we scored the first three, she stepped up and took charge of her team.’

Heading into the game, the Orange knew to expect exactly this from UMass. This is a team who SU defeated twice last season, once in the NCAA tournament. The Minutewomen are familiar with Bradley and juniors Lindsey Conrad and Lena Voelmle – the trio used to be a part of a heated rivalry with UMass in the Atlantic 10 conference during their time at Richmond.

Therefore, Potts’ aggressive tackles of Susek and of sophomore midfielder Martina Loncarica with five minutes remaining came as no surprise.

‘We knew what it was going to be like going in,’ Susek said. ‘We knew to keep an eye on No. 4 (Potts), so we just kept our pressure on her and worked together to beat her.’

The start of the game wasn’t a surprise to the Orange, either. It began with a three-goal explosion in less than 15 minutes that catapulted the team to a significant lead – a span the team regards as the best hockey it has played all season.

‘That’s the shark attack mentality,’ Schraden said. ‘We were just going after them. That was probably the most fun I have had playing in a while, and I think most of the team feels that way, too.’

In large part to Potts though, the Minutewomen clawed back to within one by halftime and put the pressure back on the Orange.

With Potts’ penalty, Schraden’s tally and Susek’s goal, however, SU erased UMass’s two goals and returned to that state of blissful play of the first 15 minutes.

Back to a three-goal lead.

‘Last year, we learned a big lesson,’ Schraden said. ‘They came from behind and almost pulled off a big comeback win. But this year we said, ‘Remember last year. And remember your mistakes.”

aolivero@syr.edu

Published on October 4, 2009 at 12:00 pm