Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Forward Pleun Lammers collected the ball just outside the shooting circle before darting past two marking defenders and firing a shot across the goal. It took less than 90 seconds for Syracuse field hockey to score the first goal of its 2021 campaign as Lammers slotted her shot through a teammate’s legs and into the bottom right corner of the goal.

“We planned to go out there and achieve something in the first five minutes of the game,” Lammers said.

Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) shut out Sacred Heart (0-1, 0-0 Northeast), 7-0, in the Orange’s season opener at J.S. Coyne Stadium. Coming off an 8-8 season split between fall 2020 (5-4) and spring 2021 (3-4), Syracuse commenced the 2021 season ranked No. 14 on the Preseason NFHCA Poll. Friday afternoon’s matchup marked the first time in program history that the Orange went up against the Pioneers in regular-season play.

Forward Charlotte de Vries wasn’t available in the home opener since she’s currently competing at the 2021 Junior Pan American Championship. She will also miss the Orange’s next matchup against Vermont on Sunday. Head coach Ange Bradley was also absent for the season opener, as a suspension after receiving a red card at the end of last season carried over into today’s game.

But, 11 combined saves from Pioneer goalkeepers Erin Burgess and Samantha Maresca wasn’t enough to thwart the Orange’s offensive efforts. Registering 32 shots with 19 on goal, Syracuse overwhelmed Sacred Heart’s defensive unit across all four quarters.

“It’s always a good feeling to win,” assistant coach Tim Broenink said. “(But) I’m happy to see that we’re not satisfied with the 7-0. We wanted to score even more, so for us as a coaching staff that’s a very positive thing.”

The Pioneers didn’t get any shots from open play, recording two total shots — one in each half and both from corners.

The Orange earned 13 corners, contributing to their offensive production. Seven of those corners came in the Orange’s breakout second quarter when Syracuse scored three goals in 17 shots.

“It’s not only the offense, it’s the whole team,” Broenink said. “Because if you don’t do a good defensive job, we don’t deliver the ball to the offense.”

The Orange set up in a 3-4-3 system with at least two defenders held back at all times to ensure defensive stability. This freed up Syracuse’s midfield and attacking players, resulting in lengthy periods of possession and continuous pressure along the flanks and from corners throughout the game.

During offensive possessions and corner plays, Broenink often yelled “structure!” to his team, reminding his team of methods from training, specific player positions and responsibilities.

“Against a team like Sacred Heart, they’re tending to drop back a little bit more,” Broenink said. “So we have to create space somewhere in the middle.”

Lammers was the focal point of Syracuse’s offense, leading counterattacks and shifting around the shooting circle to be an open passing option. Lammers also took several corner shots, splitting opportunities with back Eefke van den Nieuwenhof.

Lammers set the pace of the game early with her first-period goal. She went on to score two more goals, ending the day with a hat trick and one assist.

“What a great team player she (is) for the team,” Broenink said about Lammers after the game. “She could’ve even scored her third goal earlier, but she decided to deliver it to the second post (for an assist).”

Goals from Lammers, Tess Queen, and Clara Morrison in the second quarter extended SU’s lead and saw the Orange go into halftime, 4-0. SU’s Hailey Bitters scored the only goal of the third quarter as Syracuse’s defensive shape remained intact, and the Orange limited Sacred Heart’s opportunities to mount a comeback.

“We’re never satisfied with the number of goals, but we did some very good things today,” Broenink said.

Published on August 27, 2021 at 5:43 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu