With balanced scoring and staunch defense, the Orange has managed to remain undefeated going into conference play.

Emma Russell, Kelsey Millman, Lauren Brooks and Gillian Pinder all lead the Orange in goals this season with three each.

The luxury of having multiple players with the ability to score makes the team a nightmare to defend.

“Our whole system, the way we move and reshape, it’s like a triangle offense in basketball,” head coach Ange Bradley said. “So when we reshape, if people are in the right place, our defense sets up our attack.”

The No. 2 Orange (5-0) takes on Villanova (4-2) at 4 p.m. Friday at J. Stanley Coyne Stadium. And on Sunday, Syracuse plays Kent State (3-4) at home.

The team focuses on all aspects of the game — both sides of the ball — and takes on different positions to keep its opponents off balance.

It is not only the offense that should be credited with the winning streak, but also the team’s defense, which has allowed only three goals the entire season.

While the Orange’s barrage of scoring stands out the most, goalkeeper Leann Stiver’s ability to do her job while also managing to focus on what the defense should be doing has been just as critical.

“I work mostly with the backs, so the more I can communicate from the back and have them slide over, double-team and help each other, the less I have to actually step up and make saves,” she said.

Stiver, who recorded her third shutout of the season against Boston University, stresses that offense and defense go hand in hand.

“We know that the defense is just as important as the offense,” Stiver said.

Russell believes that the key to their undefeated streak is their unselfishness and chemistry as a team.

“I’m never thinking about scoring, to be honest; if I have a chance to score, I will,” she said. “If someone else is in a better position, I think it would definitely be smarter for them to take it.”

Emphasis on team play is what will aid against SU’s Big East opponents, starting with Villanova.

“It’s really important that we start off strong because the Big East Championship, we win that, and that is what gets us our ticket to the NCAA tournament,” Bradley said.

The team will try to use home field to its advantage against Villanova on Friday.

“In order to come in this week and have Villanova on our home turf, we want to work really hard and play for 70 minutes, and get a result that we’d be 1-0 in conference play this weekend,” Bradley said.

No matter what the strategy is, the underlying rule of the team is teamwork, and Bradley can’t stress that enough.

“I definitely think it’s more of a team thing,” said Bradley. “We have all three lines covered by experience, strong people with personalities and character that can come through in critical moments for us.”

Published on September 13, 2012 at 1:17 am

Contact Jasmine: jlwatk01@syr.edu