Syracuse and Miami were locked in a heated battle — scoreless into the beginning of the second half.

The Hurricanes took a free kick that sailed toward a cluster of green and white jerseys surrounding the goal when a purple jersey emerged above all the others.

Orange keeper Brittany Anghel came away from the goal line, as she so often does, to record one of her six saves on the day.

Syracuse took advantage of scoring opportunities in the second half and beat Miami (Fla.) 3-0 at SU Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Orange (6-8-1, 2-6-1 Atlantic Coast) has stifled numerous nationally ranked opponents this season appeared to be at peak form against the Hurricanes (8-5-0, 3-5-0). The defense was aggressive yet kept its poise throughout the match, surrounding the ball like a swarm of bees around a hive.

Anghel extended her school record by posting her 22nd career shutout on Sunday. Head coach Phil Wheddon gave his highest praise to her on a day where all five seniors on the squad were recognized for their contributions throughout the past four seasons.

“I thought this was the best game I’ve seen Brittany play,” Wheddon said. “Miami is a very direct team so this was a game where she was going to have to be big coming off the line, and she was great.”

When Wheddon spoke with Anghel before the game, he emphasized the importance of being aggressive and willing to come away from the goal line to counter the Hurricanes’ offense.

Anghel is the backbone to a Syracuse defense that prides itself on maintaining its shape and intimidating presence.

“My mindset is just to make myself as huge as possible, look scary, and maybe she’ll hit it at me,” Anghel said. “And that’s what happened.”

Any kind of intimidating defensive presence is nonexistent if the Orange fails to execute its quick, two-touch style of play. Senior defender Kayla Afonso has been an integral part of the Syracuse defense and back four that have played together for two seasons now.

“Playing simple is key for us. If we rush it we usually lose the ball and [the opposition] will counterattack,” Afonso said. “Communication and talking the whole time was big for us today.”

The venerable defense for the Orange will have a new look next year. Wheddon was reminded of that before the game on Sunday, when he helped honor the seniors who have been fixtures for him since the 2010 campaign.

“I was so excited,” Afonso said. “I couldn’t stop smiling and jumping up and down.

“It’s great to win like we did today and it’s good confidence going forward.”

Published on October 14, 2013 at 12:44 am

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman