ALBANY — Borg van der Velde smacked her shin guards six times. Three times before the opening whistle and three after. The wood of her stick against the padding echoed through Alumni Turf as she cheered on her teammates.

Those six hits were the most action van der Velde experienced in Syracuse’s program-record seventh-consecutive shutout. The No. 5 Orange (7-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) capped its road trip with a 2-0 victory over No. 21 Albany (2-3) Sunday afternoon. The win broke the previous Syracuse record of six shutouts during the 1997 season.

“It means nothing,” Syracuse head coach Ange Bradley said. “I would like to be the second women’s team to win a national championship.”

SU’s defense struck early, forcing turnovers and controlling possession in its half of the field. Albany struggled to convert passes as midfielders Laura Hurff and Erin Gillingham disrupted passing lanes on the outside and prevented opposing midfielders from threading the ball inside.

“Our focus is our five-meter hash,” Hurff said. “Our goal is to protect (that) at all costs.”

Roos Weers scored less than two minutes in on a penalty corner to give SU a 1-0 lead. As the game progressed, Albany began to gain its composure. The Great Danes defense pressured the Orange’s offense and forced multiple turnovers. On offense, SU’s method is to “break the spine.” The team wants to force the ball to the middle of the field rather than trying to advance along the sidelines. Against Albany, the Orange defense did the exact opposite. It acted as a shield around the spine.

Albany finished with just one shot the entire game. The Great Danes attempted its lone penalty corner in the 23rd minute. Kelsey Bridell inserted the ball for Albany, but Gillingham collapsed immediately, stealing the ball and preventing a shot.

“That’s our house,” Hurff said. “That’s our shell. And we’re going to do whatever we can to protect it.”

After Weers added another goal on a penalty corner, Albany made one final push in the closing minutes. Bridell wove between the SU backs on the right side of the corner, before crossing the ball through the arc. But van der Velde dove in the way to clear the ball.

Besides her one dive, van der Velde spent most of her day directing Syracuse’s backs and midfielders, as has been her role throughout the seven shutouts. The Orange remains the only team in the country that hasn’t conceded a goal.

“It’s a nice start,” Bradley said. “But it’s where you finish.”

Published on September 10, 2017 at 4:22 pm

Contact Matt: mdliberm@syr.edu