Syracuse will not take the field at J.S. Coyne Stadium for another two weeks. The Orange has reached its longest road trip of the season, but the players are looking forward to it.

“It’s going to be hectic playing away from Coyne,” said goaltender Leann Stiver. “I think we play our best games at home.

“But I think that we’ll do really well on the road. It’s really exciting and it’s something we always look forward to.”

The No. 1 Orange’s (11-0, 3-0 Big East) next stretch of the schedule includes four consecutive games away from home. The road trip begins Saturday in Providence when the team takes on the Friars (5-5) at noon.

The following two games will both take place in Amherst, Mass., against Massachusetts and No. 14 Stanford on Oct. 11 and 12, respectively. In its final regular season away game, Syracuse will play at Georgetown on Oct. 19, and then return home two days later to host No. 25 Boston College.

This upcoming four-game stretch is an opportunity for the Orange — which is 5-0 on the road — to further prove it’s a team that can win on anyone’s field.

“It’s very important that we make sure we win all of our away games,” said senior forward Haley Bomboy. “We’re a confident team that we can win, no matter where.”

Stiver said wins and shutouts are difficult to accomplish on the road, but when they do accomplish them, they point to the Orange’s capabilities, regardless of where the team plays.

Head coach Ange Bradley said the next two weeks will be a challenge as the team uncovers which aspects of its game need improvement. Throughout this stretch, it’s important for the players to maintain their health as well as their skills, Bradley said.

“Most importantly, we have to keep our minds right and stay focused,” she said.

Facing Providence, forward Lauren Brooks said she is excited to compete against another difficult Big East opponent. Bradley anticipates a physical matchup and she said Syracuse’s ball movement to get the aggressive Friars running will be crucial.

“We just know that every team we play is going to be really physical, really tough and we have to bring the best that we have that day,” Bradley said.

Defensively, Stiver said the Orange won’t have a problem if its penalty corner unit continues its dominance. If the defense does its part, Stiver said she is confident the offense will come up with the goals to secure the victory.

Should it execute all strategies according to plan, Syracuse hopes to return to Coyne Stadium still undefeated.

“I think we have a very good chance at that, if we keep playing the way we’ve been playing,” Stiver said. “I think if we keep playing at that pace, we’re going to do wondrous things.”

At the conclusion of this four-game trip, the Orange will have two remaining regular-season games, both at Coyne Stadium.

After a recent win, Bradley said a team’s chances of losing increase with every win it earns. The Orange has yet to fall to those odds.

All of a sudden, the thought of an undefeated regular season isn’t out of the question for the No. 1 team in the country.

“I think this is the team,” Bomboy said. “I’ve never seen chemistry like this on any other team I’ve played with. So I think we have a really good chance of being undefeated.”

Published on October 4, 2012 at 1:51 am

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb