Caitlyn Dragon wasn’t aware, but that’s understandable.

But that Melody Agnew didn’t know was surprising.

Even more so for coach Lisa Miller. ‘No idea,’ Miller said.

If the news was new to that trio, then it’s safe to say nobody on the Syracuse women’s lacrosse knows that Agnew, a junior attack, is currently leading the Big East Conference in assists with 16.

Agnew looks to add to her total when No. 12 Syracuse hosts Boston College on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

The Orange (8-3, 1-1 Big East) is hoping to get back in the win column after a loss to undefeated Dartmouth on Tuesday. Besides that, Agnew wants to continue her recent passing surge.

‘She’s an amazing feeder,’ said Dragon, a senior attack, and often the recipient of Agnew’s passes. ‘She’s connecting well with the midfielders and attackers. She can read people so well.’

Her total includes all of SU’s games, not just the two Big East contests played thus far. Agnew is two assists ahead of the Georgetown duo of Coco Stanwick and Sarah Oliphant.

‘I’m playing more behind the cage now so it’s easier for me to feed the cutters from the top,’ Agnew said. ‘I’ve felt more comfortable passing as the season has gone on.’

Agnew didn’t show any signs of challenging for the assist lead at the beginning of the season. Not that she wasn’t out on the field, it’s just that she was more involved in scoring in the first few games.

She scored a career-high four goals in the season opener against Albany on Feb. 27, following that up with a hat trick in the next game against Binghamton on March 1.

Agnew appeared to be a scoring answer for an Orange team looking for scoring threats. But her role shifted as more scorers emerged. She has two three-assist games this year. SU is 8-0 when Agnew records an assist, 0-3 when she doesn’t.

‘She’s better at (passing) than she was last year,’ Miller said. ‘Fundamentally, she did the work in the off-season to get really better at it. She turns her shoulders now.

‘You never want to be known just as a feeder because then (opponents) will just sag off and make it hard for you. The fact that she can split her feeds with keeping pressure on the crease (scoring-wise) actually frees up the pass. It keeps them honest.’

While it is true Agnew’s goal-scoring rate has dropped, she remains a dangerous threat. She is fourth on the team in goals with 14. Her 30 total points rank third on the Orange.

‘You learn how the people around you play,’ Agnew said. ‘You can predict where they are going to be and how they are going to move off-ball.’

She is partly responsible for junior attack Meghan O’Connell’s recent goal-scoring binge of 12 goals in the last four games. Agnew selected O’Connell as the one player she can read the best, and lately, more of her passes have gone to her fellow junior.

‘You can throw anything to her and she will catch it,’ Agnew said. ‘She has a great shot. Her back-door cut in the corner is very good. She’s scored a lot of goals off that.’

She also has Dragon back tomorrow. The senior suffered a blow to the head in last Saturday’s 11-9 win over Loyola. Though she remained in the game until the finish, team trainers erred on the side of caution and held her out of the Dartmouth loss.

Miller said the Orange played the Big Green well without the team’s leading scorer. Dragon showed no signs of the injury as she began practice yesterday by tossing the ball back and forth with O’Connell.

While it’s true this game is important because it is a conference affair, every contest is vital for SU now. A loss at home to the Eagles (6-4, 1-3) would be devastating for the Orange’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

Agnew’s passing will no doubt play a large factor in its quest for the postseason. But now that she’s aware of her league-leading position, it won’t change Agnew’s approach.

‘She has confidence in her teammates,’ Dragon said. ‘She’s not afraid to throw the ball to them.’

Published on April 13, 2005 at 12:00 pm