After securing a trip to the NCAA semifinal Sunday, the Syracuse team ran up the grassy hill on the north end of J.S. Coyne Stadium. Before taking pictures with the final four banner, every player touched the rusty chain-link fence at the top of the hill.

“That’s their touchstone, that fence up there,” SU head coach Ange Bradley said. “They’ve got a big hill to climb and we’re at the next step. We’re close to that next fence.”

This year’s celebration for being final four bound — the third time for SU seniors — was different than any Bradley has ever experienced. Following the disappointment at losing the 2014 national championship to Connecticut, this season brought a loftier expectation, she said, one that the Orange has a chance to fulfill this weekend.

Syracuse’s run at the national championship continues at noon on Friday when the Orange (19-1, 6-0 Atlantic Coast) travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play in the national semifinal against a familiar foe. The Huskies (22-0, 5-0 Big East) look to spoil Syracuse’s high hopes of becoming the first women’s program in school history to win a national title.

“It would mean a lot,” senior goalkeeper Jess Jecko said. “To say you’re the first women’s team to win a national championship … That stays in the Syracuse legacy. That stays here forever.”

But before the grand goal creeps too far into the front of mind, four players and Bradley stressed that the team doesn’t look past Friday.

“It’s in the back of everyone’s mind,” said senior captain Emma Russell. “For all players. It’s the goal we’ve been talking about for as long as I can remember.”

Russell, SU’s all-time leading goal-scorer, leads an experienced SU squad deep into the tournament. Most of the team has played in plenty of high-stakes games, including two ACC finals, multiple NCAA tournament appearances, a perfect regular season.

Seven of the team’s 11 starters in last season’s national championship are still in the rotation. Alma Fenne and Roos Weers slid into the starting rotation, and won ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year, respectively.

“(Experience) helps because the first time you do something there’s always extra energy,” Jecko said. “Last year when we got off the bus, there were a lot people cheering. You’re like, ‘Oh, wow.’ This year, we’re used to it.”

The SU team is also used to constant changes. Annalena Ulbrich, one of SU’s best defenders last season who started all 14 games she played in, hasn’t played since Sept. 6 due to injury. Lies Lagerweij and Laura Hurff played forward their entire careers until switching this season to center back and midfield, respectively. The team’s two leading scorers, transfers Weers and Fenne, weren’t on the roster until August. Starting forward and fourth-leading scorer Emma Lamison appeared on Syracuse’s doorstep in in June via transfer from Northeastern.

At the NCAA tournament’s start, Bradley again tinkered with her lineup. She sat Lamison and started Liz Sack, who started 22-of-24 games in 2014 but 6-of-18 this season. Sack, who switched from back to forward, responded with two goals in a first-round win over Massachusetts. The next day, another Sack start led to two more goals. The flexibility of each player on the roster is one of the team’s greatest strengths, Fenne said.

The national championship is on the line once again Friday when Syracuse and Connecticut meet. It’s the first time the two have met since last season’s final. Russell stressed the two squads are completely different and Bradley’s mantra all season has been that her team doesn’t dwell on the past. But some wounds still sting.

“Having something so close and then to have it ripped out from underneath you …” Manley said, her voice trailing off. “I don’t want to feel that feeling again. Seeing someone else celebrate something that we’ve worked so hard for is heartbreaking.”

Published on November 18, 2015 at 10:22 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR