On the road to North Carolina
By Dan Shalam
14th-ranked Syracuse field hockey is gearing up for its biggest test of the season so far: A road matchup to open ACC play against second ranked North Carolina. Before we get there though, how did SO far this past weekend against two non-conference opponents? Why don’t we take a look back at this past weekend at home for Syracuse against Northeastern and Lafayette.
Syracuse 2, Northeastern 0
The Orange were never threatened in this game from start to finish. Syracuse was firing on all cylinders, with six first quarter shots and five penalty corners. Huskie goaltender Kristi Merashoff kept things close for as long as she could, stopping the Orange’s first seven shots on the cage. Eventually though, SU broke through thanks to Vivian Rowan on a breakaway. The goal marked Rowan’s second tally of the season. From there on out it was more offensive domination from Syracuse. The Orange would add one more 11 minutes into the third quarter off a penalty corner. Bo van Kempen fired the initial shot off the injection, and Hattie Madden was in front of the net to deflect it in. Syracuse outshot Northeastern 22-4 in the contest, its most shots in a game since last year against Wagner. Come Sunday though against Lafayette, it was a totally different story for SU.
Syracuse 2, Lafayette 1
While Syracuse might’ve dominated Northeastern offensively on Friday, it was the complete opposite on Sunday. The Orange would jump ahead early thanks to a penalty stroke from Bo Madden. But, after that, the Leopards kept knocking on the door. After the first quarter, Lafayette out-cornered Syracuse 13-3. The Orange defense did a great job weathering the storm, but when a squad gives up 13 prime scoring chances, one is bound to go in. With three and a half minutes to go in the contest, that’s exactly what happened. The Leopards leading goal scorer Lineke Spaans would equalize to make the game 1-1. At this point, all the momentum was with Lafayette. The Orange seemed fatigued, and the Leopards were hungry. Yet, with just half a minute left to go in the contest, van Kempen played the hero, scoring off a penalty corner to lift SU to the victory. Syracuse was lucky to escape with a victory on Sunday, which is a worrying sign heading into Friday against UNC.
Looking ahead to North Carolina
Syracuse is faced with a daunting task this weekend, taking down North Carolina. It’s not as if the Orange had convincing wins over Lafeyette and Northeastern this past weekend, and UNC is a completely different beast compared to those two squads. The Tar Heels have not lost a game this season, sitting at 4-0. The contest being on the road does not bode well for Syracuse. The last time the two times met in Chapel Hill, SU fell 6-1. Syracuse has also never beaten UNC at Shelton Stadium. On top of that, in the last three matchups on the road against the Tar Heels, the Orange have scored just two goals. While all those numbers are daunting, it’s not impossible to win at Chapel Hill. UNC fell twice last season at home, with games being settled in overtime. It is also worthy to note that head coach Lynn Farquhar has never faced North Carolina on the road as a member of the SU coaching staff. Last season though, the Tar Heels mashed the Orange 4-1 at Coyne under Farquhar. She’ll look to change that come Friday. It will take some magic for Syracuse to pull off the upset on the road for the first time ever, but anything is possible.
