The theme for Sunday’s 1 p.m. season finale at Northwestern is simple – just end the season positively. Whether it’s a win or just a solid outing to build on, the Syracuse field hockey team is looking for anything to take into next fall.

The task won’t be easy, though. While Northwestern brings a substandard 7-8 record into the weekend – it hosts Saint Louis tonight – it’s still a perennial top 20 team. Add that to the fact that seven of its eight losses have come against teams ranked in the top 20 of the Division I National Coaches Poll, and Northwestern is not to be taken lightly.

‘It’s going to be a tough game,’ Syracuse head coach Kathleen Parker said. ‘I know they’re a tough team, and I anticipate having our hands full. But we’d just rather end on an up note than a down note.’

In Northwestern’s last game Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats lost to No. 9 Iowa, 2-0. But going into that one, Northwestern was on a mini, two-game winning streak, including a notable 3-0 win over No. 20 California-Berkeley on Oct. 18th.

Northwestern junior Candice Cooper scored two goals in the Wildcats’ win over California, leading the way for her to win the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award. Cooper is Northwestern’s leading scorer with seven goals and three assists.

Wednesday night’s 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Cornell, though, may have been exactly what SU needed going into Sunday’s matchup in Evanston, Ill.

The Orangewomen (7-10, 1-4 Big East) appeared flat for most of the night, but turned it on late to overcome the Big Red in double overtime.

Inconsistent play has been Syracuse’s season-long problem, especially during games in which Syracuse is expected to win, such as against Cornell. The Orangewomen, though, of late, have played their strongest games against top-flight competition such as Villanova and No. 11 Connecticut. Maybe the same can be expected this Sunday.

‘We want to go out and do well against a Big Ten team,’ Parker said. ‘Maybe it’s the first game towards a new season. It’ll be a lot more uplifting to end on a win instead of a loss.’

The Orangewomen will look to avoid an inconsistent downfall come Sunday. In their view, a strong finish is the first step towards a successful season next year.

‘We know the season’s going to be over on Sunday,’ junior Lindsay Peirson said, ‘so we just want to end on a good note, and have a positive feeling in our minds when we go in to start preparing for next year.’

Published on October 30, 2003 at 12:00 pm