Syracuse hasn’t lost a regular-season matchup with a Big East opponent in exactly two years. Since its April 16, 2011, loss to Georgetown, SU has won 17 consecutive games against Big East foes.

SU won its last four Big East matchups in 2011, was 8-0 in conference play last season and holds a 5-0 record this year. With wins over Louisville and Cincinnati this past weekend, SU extended its longest conference winning streak ever.

The No. 5 Orange (9-3, 5-0 Big East) has a break from its Big East schedule when it faces Cornell (7-4, 3-3 Ivy) on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

“We just want to win every game (regardless of opponent),” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “Our goal is to show up, prepare mentally and physically, and take on our opponent, get the W and move on to the next one. If that ends up, we get through the Big East, that’s great. But our approach and our goal is to win every game.”

SU’s early-season slate featured a heavy load of highly ranked nonconference opponents — including current No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 4 Florida and No. 20 Virginia — but the team’s focus now is finishing its last season in the Big East with a bang. So far, it’s doing just that.

The Orange has had the last three Big East Offensive Player of the Week award winners. Kayla Treanor won the week of April 8 and Alyssa Murray won the weeks of March 25 and April 1. The Orange has won nearly half of the offensive awards for the conference given so far this year.

SU has also picked up the last two Defensive Player of the Week awards. Defender Becca Block won the award last week and goaltender Kelsey Richardson earned it this week.

Two of the most recent conference victories came against Rutgers and Louisville, two teams on the verge of cracking the deBeer Women’s Media Poll top 20. SU squeaked by a lesser Rutgers opponent 10-8, but handled a better Louisville team 19-7. Cincinnati proved to be no match for the Orange on Sunday, as SU cruised to a 21-6 victory.

The Orange now enters the tough part of its Big East schedule. In its five remaining games, it faces No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Georgetown and No. 17 Loyola.

“It’s really important,” Murray said. “You want to keep beating the teams that you’re going to wind up playing in the Big East tournament, come out hopefully with the No. 1 seed and come into the tournament with as much confidence as we can.”

The team, from top to bottom, has found that confidence. Against Cincinnati, 15 different players scored.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this team and to play with so many high-level players,” SU midfielder Erica Bodt said. “It’s been a great experience so far.”

The journey is far from finished. Since the Big East began sponsoring women’s lacrosse in 2001, Syracuse has an all-time record of 63-16 in regular-season play. In five of the last six years, the team has finished in first place or tied for first place.

SU is poised and in good position to win the conference again this year.

“I think we’re very focused, we’ve really gotten into a groove,” Murray said. “I think we beat a very good team in Louisville and again, Cincinnati came out to play today. We’ve just continued to improve and get some chemistry going and we’re going to try to continue that for the rest of the season because this is when you really want to start peaking as a team, and I think we’re hitting that at the right time.”

Published on April 15, 2013 at 11:58 pm

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu