Moments after handing out Big East Championship trophies and T-shirts to every member of her team, Syracuse field hockey head coach Ange Bradley already had her mind set on next weekend.

 

Her team had just clinched the Big East regular season title, but for Bradley it was a goal her team had already expected to accomplish.

 

‘It’s important to celebrate the little victories and get ready for tomorrow,’ Bradley said. ‘We have practice tomorrow, and we’ll be preparing for Rutgers and the first round of the Big East championship.’

 

With a 2-0 victory over Villanova Saturday afternoon at J.S. Coyne Stadium, the Orange clinched a third straight Big East regular season championship and hoisted the league’s trophy for all of the 266 people in attendance to see. The victory was the Orange’s 17th Big East victory in its last 18 conference games and ensured a No. 1 seed in next weekend’s Big East tournament.

 

The culmination of another Big East championship and the team’s senior day made it a special moment for senior back Maggie Befort. But Befort knows — much like her coach — that there are still games left to be played.

 

‘For it to be senior day and to win the regular season Big East championship is great,’ Befort said. ‘I’m just really excited for us to get into the postseason and see what we can do.

 

‘This isn’t the end.’

 

After honoring the team’s five seniors — Befort, Lindsey Conrad, Kim Coyle, Shelby Schraden and Kristin Girouard — at the start of the game, the Orange went right to work. It only took three minutes for the Orange to get its first scoring chance as junior forward Heather Susek missed a shot just wide on a fast break. The pace of the game was set.

SU would go on to outshoot the Wildcats by a margin of 41-2, and it wasn’t until 10 minutes into the second half that Villanova got its first possession inside of Syracuse’s penalty area.

 

Even SU’s defense was getting involved in the offensive action. Nicole Nelson, Iona Holloway and Laura Hahnefeldt combined for a total of 15 shots in the first 16 games of the season. On Saturday, the three combined for a total of six shots — three from Hahnefeldt, two from Holloway and one from Nelson.

 

Sophomore back Amy Kee — who recorded a game-high seven shots — said getting the defense involved wasn’t part of the game plan. Rather, it was just a result of the style of the game.

 

‘We didn’t necessarily practice that as such, but the space was on the outside,’ Kee said. ‘When your halfbacks and defenders can attack, you can take advantage of that.’

 

But the Orange still struggled to separate itself from the Wildcats on the scoreboard, despite the statistical dominance.

 

Even the first goal, scored by junior midfielder Martina Loncarica, seemed like a long time in the making. After blasting a shot from the top corner of Villanova’s penalty area, Loncarica fell to her knees in relief. The goal was Loncarica’s 10th on the year and ended up being her seventh game-winning goal of the season.

 

‘It was hard, but it was good because we took a lot of shots,’ Loncarica said. ‘We have to stay patient and keep trying.’

 

But no matter how hard the Orange tried, Villanova junior goalkeeper Megan Goelz was there with a save. Goelz ended the game with a season-high 17 saves and kept her team in the game.

 

Bradley said that heading into next week, her team needs to work on finishing from within the penalty area.

 

‘It was everything,’ Bradley said. ‘She was getting things with her toe, her glove, and she just made some phenomenal saves.

 

After the game, Loncarica took a moment to enjoy the victory with her teammates and friends. With her Big East regular season trophy and shirt, she went from camera to camera, commemorating the win.

 

But as the celebration wore down, the junior’s focus shifted.

 

‘It’s obviously a good thing because we accomplished what we were working for, but we still have to keep working,’ Loncarica said. ‘Next week is very important with the Big East tournament. We need to win that and then stay strong to enter the NCAA Tournament.’

 

rwmarfur@syr.edu

Published on October 30, 2010 at 12:00 pm