Syracuse players and coaches trickled out of the Ensley Athletic Center’s turf field on Tuesday and tried to rationalize their worst loss of the season, a 20-11 blowout against North Carolina this past Saturday. They agreed there wasn’t enough communication. The ball stuck on offense and slides were late on defense.

Looking forward to No. 2 Boston College, Syracuse’s next opponent, some players and coaches differed regarding their defensive gameplan. Slowing BC’s superstar Sam Apuzzo would be its toughest test because she can beat players in any way.

“We’ve played against great players,” SU goalie Asa Goldstock said, “but I don’t think we’ve played against anyone like Sam.”

The No. 2 Eagles (16-0, 6-0) possess the fifth-best offense in the nation, averaging a bit more than 16 goals a contest. Apuzzo and her 63 goals (second in Division-I) lead BC. Orange players and coaches cited her passing, dodging and finishing ability as her strengths. After dropping three of its last four games, No. 19 SU (8-7, 0-5 Atlantic Coast) needs its 98th-ranked defense (13.87 goals allowed per game) to step up in its toughest test of the campaign.

A year ago, the Orange made its 11th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and got matched up with the Eagles, who snuck in as an at-large bid. But a BC upset win over SU shifted the power as Boston College made an impromptu Final Four run and is now one win away from its first perfect regular season. Meanwhile, Syracuse finds itself on the NCAA tournament bubble, SU head coach Gary Gait said, needing a win to stay afloat.

“The opportunity is still there to make a run,” Gait said. “You just got to get yourself in the tournament and give yourself a chance. Kind of like Syracuse (men’s) basketball … We’ve got some work to do to get off the bubble. We have the teams in front of us that allow us to do that.”

Saturday, UNC exposed the SU defense. The Tar Heels ran a majority of their first-half offense from behind the cage for eight goals and a lack of communication drained SU.

Apuzzo operates from a similar position, SU defender Kerry Defliese said. The defense will also need to be on the lookout for cutters who dash towards the crease while the defense is focused on the ball-handler, she added.

Earlier this season, defender Lila Nazarian said coaches Regy Thorpe and Caitlin Defliese assign defensive matchups based on complementary skill sets. Alexa Radziewicz, who Nazarian said is the team’s most fundamentally sound defender, will be tasked with covering feeders like Apuzzo who work behind the net. A shiftier Orange stopper, like Kerry Defliese, will have to stomp out the portion of BC’s offense that is run from the elbows or point.

But Apuzzo has shown the ability to score from these spots as well. Acacia Walker-Weinstein, BC’s head coach, referred to Apuzzo as the attack’s “stabilizer.” Gait said he believes the key to limiting her production lies in her quality of chances.

“We gotta try to limit her opportunities,” Gait said. “Just not give her easy goals, put pressure on her. She’s going to get some shots, let’s make sure they are not wide open with time and room.”

Gait has deployed similar strategies against other team’s top scorers this season. Before the UNC loss, he said SU had to force bad shots on attack Marie McCool. The Tar Heels’ star recorded five goals and assisted a sixth. In Syracuse’s toughest games — UNC, Florida, Maryland, Duke, Loyola (Maryland) — each opponent’s lead producer averaged just more than five points. SU went 2-3 in those matchups.

Gait admitted that he didn’t envision Syracuse with a nearly .500 record. A plethora of close calls, injuries and fatigue has set the Syracuse back. A win against Boston College washes away part of the struggles. A loss reinforces the status quo.

“I’m not scared,” she said. “I don’t think my teammates are scared. At this point, what’s there to lose? What’s there to be scared of?”

Published on April 18, 2018 at 9:36 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez