It was only one mistake. On a short pass up the middle of Villanova’s arc, Syracuse midfielder Shannon Taylor spotted the ball and stole it. Alone, Taylor wound up, aimed at Villanova’s cage, and let it rip.

Villanova’s defenders made a futile rush back down the field at J.S. Coyne Stadium, where a crowd of 148 watched in anticipation. It was only five minutes into the game, and one thought ran through SU’s head coach Ange Bradley’s mind. ‘Just score,’ she recalled.

The ball flashed past Villanova’s goalkeeper Maura McCormick for Taylor’s 23rd goal of the season, sparking the first goal in SU’s dominant 5-0 victory over Villanova. The Orange took the momentum and won 3-1 against No. 14 Boston College Sunday afternoon.

The win against Villanova secured a birth in the Big East Championship for the Orange.The No. 3 Orange, 17-1 (4-1 Big East), kept a defensive mind on offense Friday. The SU offense, on a counterattack, halted Villanova behind its own 50-yard line and allowed only three shots, all of which came in the second half. The team’s counterattack mindset rallied a torrent of 30 shots on goal. It allowed SU to rack a season-high 21 corner penalty opportunities as the Wildcats committed fouls trying to stop their own giveaways.

‘We were no longer forwards, we were part of the defense. We’ve been drilling that in our heads, and it’s finally working,’ forward Shelby Schraden said. ‘The counterattack was sharp and fun. We had five goals off it.’

Although it seemed to be the first time SU focused so much on the counterattack, Bradley said the strategy is something the team implements in all its games.

Taylor had four goals and three assists on the weekend. She leads the nation in points per game at 3.72. Forward Lindsay Conrad added three goals.

To add to SU’s lead Friday afternoon, Conrad’s intercepted a pass in Villanova’s own arc, putting her in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. As the keeper began to step forward to cut her shooting angle, Conrad pulled the ball to her left and – as she was tripped – tapped the ball into the goal.

‘I knew their defense was still running back and out of position,’ Conrad said. ‘So I just thought to shoot.’

It was more of the same to begin Sunday afternoon in Syracuse’s home finale against No. 14 Boston College.

As the Eagles tried clearing out their arc early in the first half, Taylor stepped from behind a BC player and stripped the ball. A quick one-timer to the right of the field met Conrad’s stick for her 16th goal of the season.

‘Turnovers are the biggest thing in college field hockey, because possession is such a difficult thing,’ Bradley said.

But it didn’t last long. At the end of the first half, the roles reversed as the Orange’s offense had trouble maintaining control of the ball in its own half. Off a similar counterattack, the Eagles used their speed and SU’s mistakes to get eight shots on goal near halftime.

With two forwards flanked on both sides of the midfield, any mistake by SU’s defense allowed for a quick outlet pass, then a rush up to Syracuse’s goal. Early in the second half, a tipped ball created a dangerous two-on-one situation, where the Eagles forward had a clear shot at goal.

Syracuse gave up only one goal in both games, off a rebounded penalty corner to Boston College’s Tara Fernandes that broke SU goalkeeper Heather Hess’ 105 minutes of flawless play.

The momentum swung back to Syracuse after Conrad stole the ball in midfield against BC. Martina Loncarica’s ensuing shot to the left post provided an insurance goal – a two-goal margin.

‘The game was very exciting, but we’re not done, and hopefully we won’t be done anytime soon,’ said Heather Doran, who played her last game at J.S. Coyne’s Stadium as senior back. ‘I’ve always wanted to walk off this field with a win.’

edpaik@syr.edu

Published on October 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm