A Hanna Strong shot from 8 yards out rebounded quickly toward the sideline. The ball nearly went out of bounds, but Syracuse defender Cecilia Borgstrom stepped up and sent a shot on goal.

The ball sailed over the shoulder of South Florida goalkeeper Nicole McClure and hit the inside left netting.

Borgstrom’s improbable goal from 22 yards with just 1.9 seconds remaining in the game last October clinched a 1-0 victory and a berth in the Big East tournament.

Borgstrom, a junior defender from Stockholm, Sweden, has been a reliable player for the Orange. She has played on the highest levels of international soccer and has a knack for stepping up on the game’s biggest stages.

Borgstrom will look to help the Orange (3-3-1) get off to a strong start in the Big East when it takes on Connecticut (4-2-1) at SU Soccer Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m. After the conference opener, Syracuse will face Providence (5-2-1) in Rhode Island on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Orange is determined to build on its seven-win 2011 campaign. And Borgstrom will be crucial to achieving that goal.

As an 18-year-old, Borgstrom competed against older players in the Under-19 European Championship in Belarus. Her Swedish team lost in the championship game to England, but she was pleased with her play in the time she received, including a few starts at outside back.

Syracuse’s game against Connecticut — a celebrated program that the Orange has never beaten — will not faze Borgstrom. Teammate and roommate Rachel Blum said she’s a key part of the SU defense.

“She’s an impact player when she gets out and uses her speed and body,” Blum said.

Head coach Phil Wheddon said SU is fortunate that a player of Borgstrom’s talent level chose a growing program like Syracuse. Wheddon originally scouted Borgstrom on a trip to Sweden, where he went to see several Swedish players, and Borgstrom happened to be one of them.

In three years at SU, she has started 32 games, scoring three goals and tallying one assist. Borgstrom said she needs to improve her offensive skills this season.

“I’m trying to bring my speed and be as physical as I can,” she said. “I’m trying to cross as many balls as I can, but of course to score.”

Despite her talent and experience, Wheddon said Borgstrom has to show that she belongs on the field.

“She’s shown some very good things at times,” Wheddon said. “She has pace. She’s difficult to deal with. She’s still developing. She’s still a player who is someone that we need to step up and rise to that next level.”

Published on September 13, 2012 at 2:59 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu