In practice leading up to the Big East tournament this weekend, Guy Cathro has had a specific job.

At times, the Syracuse assistant field hockey coach felt the need to embark from his spot on the sidelines of Coyne Field. Instead of standing idly by, Cathro walked out onto the Astroturf, picked up a field hockey stick, and ran up and down with the team. It’s an atypical teaching tool for the native of Scotland.

But it’s one that’s necessary for Cathro to undertake, in head coach Ange Bradley’s mind.

The reason being, Cathro’s supreme speed, in comparison with any of the players on Syracuse’s team, is a perfect simulation for the unique offensive attack No. 1 seeded SU will face against No. 4 seed Providence. The No. 5 ranked Orange (16-2, 6-0 Big East) will take on the Friars (10-9, 3-3) in the semifinals of the Big East tournament Saturday at 11 a.m. in Providence, R.I.

‘We normally have Guy or (assistant coach) Lynn (Farquhar) coaching the scout team,’ Bradley said following Tuesday’s practice. ‘We put Guy in there a lot, too, because his speed is so fast. We use it to mimic some of the players that we will see.’

This week Cathro has been trying to simulate the particular style of one player within the Friars unique offensive attack, Nellie Poulin. The senior forward, who leads Providence with 14 goals on the year, is the one Friar in the back of the Orange’s collective mind.

If they can stop her this weekend, the Orange will most likely win. If they don’t, they will be in a dog-fight on Providence’s home turf against a Friars team that features seven seniors. Seven players in their final year, including Poulin, who don’t want this to be their last game.

Syracuse has already stopped Poulin and the Friar attack once before. In the first meeting between the two teams this year, on Sept. 26, SU held Poulin to only one shot.

‘We did really well against her,’ said senior Tracy Deitrick, who scored the game-winning goal against the Friars. ‘We started out great, moving the ball, and they couldn’t keep up with it. We just have to keep that mentality. We can’t have any dips.’

The entire back line had to keep an eye on the center forward from Providence all afternoon, including junior back Maggie Befort. Befort does acknowledge, though, that one SU player in particular was integral in keeping Poulin in check. The player Bradley has continuously referred to as the fastest player for Syracuse, junior back Kim Coyle.

‘She (Poulin) runs behind the lines and comes back into the midfield,’ Befort said. ‘So she was swarming around Kimmy (Coyle) all game. Kimmy did a great job shutting them down.’

Right there with coach Cathro on the scout team mimicking Providence’s high-speed attack is Lindsey Conrad. Bradley has put Conrad alongside Cathro against the SU defense in an effort to resemble the Friars as best as possible. Conrad, SU’s leading scorer on the season with 15 goals, is the perfect player from the team to simulate Providence, Befort feels. She is, of course, one of the fastest players and most imaginative scorers on the team.

‘Lindsey is a great attacker,’ Befort said. ‘She simulates the way Providence plays especially well. I mean, she does everything especially well on offense.’

At SU’s practices this week, Coyle, Befort and the rest of the backs have had to deal with the unlikely combination of the lightning-fast Cathro and scrappy Conrad on a regular basis. Bradley has been sending them straight at, behind, and off the shoulders of the Orange defenders much like the Friars will Saturday.

But the unique attacking style of Providence, where forwards get behind the opposing defense and attack in an unorthodox way, is nothing new to Bradley and her players. They have become familiar with it over the past three years.

They’ll just have to shut it down again Saturday. If they try as hard against Poulin and the Friars as they do against Cathro, SU should be in good shape.

The fact of the matter is, they won’t face anyone as fast this weekend.

‘He is just so quick, you just have to play smart,’ Bradley said. ‘But they love it, they like to go after each other.’

aolivero@syr.edu

Published on November 4, 2009 at 12:00 pm