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Just two and a half weeks into its season, Syracuse’s defense has been elite. The Orange have allowed just seven goals through five contests (1.4 per game average).

Newly acquired Bo van Kempen, Taja Gans and Phoebe Hall make up SU’s starting defensive front. In their first season with SU, van Kempen, Gans and Hall have stepped up to allow just two goals when all are on the field at the same time. A strong defensive unit has led Syracuse (4-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a hot start, winning four of its first five games with a +8 goal margin.

Though a defender, van Kempen leads SU’s offensive attack with four goals on the season. She scored Syracuse’s game-winning goal with 36 seconds left in its Sept. 15 game against Lafayette.

Hailing from the Netherlands, van Kempen was one of the top scorers at the Hockey Club MOP. She was also selected for the Dutch U15 and U16 teams while debuting with Kampong, a top club in Utrecht, Netherlands, at 15 years old. She previously attended Liemers College before coming to SU for her graduate year.

Gans, a freshman from Duisburg, Germany, played for Club Raffelberg e.V. and was named to the U21 German National Team. Gans also helped lead her team to the U18 European Championship before playing in the U21 World Cup in Chile.

Hall is from Auckland, New Zealand, and played over 100 games for the 1st XI Hockey Team. She helped lead the team to third in the Auckland Competition and 12th in the national championship.

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Together, van Kempen, Gans and Hall have allowed just 14 shots on goal through their first four matchups, including a stellar performance in SU’s season opener versus Lock Haven. Syracuse didn’t let the Bald Eagles’ offense record a single shot attempt, the first time since Sept. 2, 2017, where SU’s defense accomplished the feat.

Alongside Syracuse’s regular defensive front, the team’s penalty corner defense has lifted some pressure off the Orange’s goaltenders. Midfielders Berber Bakermans and Lieke Leeggangers each have recorded critical blocks on penalty corner attempts. Lottie Summers also has multiple deflections, giving SU’s offense extensive opportunities.

“We are just really brave, to be honest … We had a really great goalie who was making really good saves. Besides that, our first runner also caught a lot of balls,” van Kempen said about SU’s penalty corner defense following its win against Lafayette.

Even with Syracuse’s elite penalty corner defense so far, there have been miscues on its side to put it in pressure-filled situations. The Orange allowed a season-high 16 penalty corners against Lafayette. Yet, their defense allowed just one goal in those attempts en route to a 2-1 victory.

“You saw our defensive penalty unit stay strong over and over again,” Farquhar said after the win. “We cycled some people in and they came out with fire.”

In net, Syracuse has rotated between Louise Pert and Vera Hekkenberg in each game this season. After the 2023 season, where Abby Neitch spent 500 minutes in net, she is yet to play in 2024. Even with Neitch on the bench, the SU goalkeepers have totaled 15 saves, eight more than SU’s 2023 goalies five games into the season.

The goalkeeping rotation between Pert and Hekkenberg provides Syracuse with a flexible defensive structure. Both goalies have shown they can play in high-pressure situations, and depth in the net offers constant stability.

While the Orange defense has shown moments of brightness, maintaining a level of intensity will be crucial as they enter ACC play. The conference is known for having some of the most dynamic offenses in college field hockey. SU’s backline will need to tighten up on conceding penalty corners to avoid giving extensive opportunities for any scoring chances.

“Every opponent you are going to face has a different challenge. It’s not always one step forward,” Farquhar said after its win versus Northeastern. “It’s a set piece. It’s simply about doing our job and we need to sharpen that up.”

Published on September 18, 2024 at 11:51 pm

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