Syracuse University
Villanova University
Syracuse Concludes Regular Season
10/29/2010 9:16:11 AM | Field Hockey
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The seventh-ranked Syracuse University field hockey team (12-4, 5-0) concludes the 2010 regular season as it hosts BIG EAST foe Villanova (6-9, 2-3) at J.S. Coyne Stadium on Saturday, October 30 at 1 p.m. Syracuse will honor seniors Maggie Befort, Lindsey Conrad, Kim Coyle, Kristin Girouard and Shelby Schraden before the contest.
BIG EAST Champions
With its victory versus Connecticut on October 23 the Orange gained at least a share of the BIG EAST regular-season championship. SU has won the last three BIG EAST regular-season titles and seven overall. The Orange will be the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Championship at the George J. Sherman Family-Sports Complex on the University of Connecticut campus on Saturday, November 6 and Sunday, November 7. Syracuse will play the No. 4 seed on Nov. 6 at 11 a.m.
A Victory Versus Villanova Would ...
A Syracuse victory versus Villanova on Saturday, October 30 would give the Orange a perfect 6-0 BIG EAST record for the second consecutive season. The Orange has won a BIG EAST record 13 consecutive and 16 of its last 17 BIG EAST and regular-season games. Its last loss came on October 18, 2008. The previous record was 12-games set by Connecticut (10/17/98-9/22/01). SU has won 13 straight home games dating back to a 3-2 overtime loss to then No. 7 Princeton on September 6, 2009.
Villanova Series Notes
Syracuse and Villanova will meet for the 25th time on Saturday, October 30 with the Orange leading the all-time series, 17-7. SU has won the last three against the Wildcats, outscoring 'Nova, 14-5. Syracuse has not lost to Villanova at home since 2003.
Last Meeting with the Wildcats
The Orange earned at least a share of the BIG EAST regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Championship with its 5-3 victory at Villanova on October 23, 2009 at Villanova Stadium. Maggie Befort became the Syracuse's all-time leading scorer with 98 career points. Amy Kee recorded two goals and an assist, while Befort and Martina Loncarica both tallied a goal and two assists for the Orange. Lindsey Conrad added a goal for Syracuse. Ashleigh McGowan recorded one save while Leann Stiver finished the game in cage for the Orange.
The Orange outshot the Wildcats, 36-5, and held a 23-1 advantage on penalty corners.
Syracuse players against Villanova
Four Syracuse players have recorded points against the Wildcats. Senior back Maggie Befort has a team-best nine career points against Villanova off two goals and five assists.Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad and All-American Martina Loncarica each have six points against the Wildcats. Conrad has three goals, while Loncarica has one goal and four assists. Sophomore back Amy Kee rounds off the scoring versus Villanova with five points off two goals and one assists.
Scouting the Orange
Syracuse has won its last five outings and seven of its last eight, including victories against No. 4 Connecticut, No. 10 Louisville, No. 14 Boston College, No. 18 Albany and No. 20 Stanford. All-American Martina Loncarica leads the Orange with 24 points off a team-high nine goals and second-best six assists. She is first in the BIG EAST Conference with six game-winning goals. Freshman midfielder Leonie Geyer has registered 22 points off five goals and a team-high 12 assists. Junior forward Heather Susek has scored seven goals and tallied three assists for 17 points. Senior back Maggie Befort has recorded 15 points off six goals and three assists. Sophomore back Amy Kee has racked up 13 points off five goals and three assists. She also has one defensive save. Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad has netted six goals for a total of 12 points. Senior forward Kristin Girouard and sophomore back Iona Holloway have each scored two goals and dished out one assist for five points. Junior midfielder Liz McInerney has also tallied five points off one goal and three assists. Freshman forward Ashtin Klinger has scored two goals for a total of four points. Senior forward Shelby Schraden, sophomore forward Kelsey Millman and junior midfielder Nicole Nelson each have scored one goal for the Orange. Goalkeeper Leann Stiver has a 9-4 record in cage. She recorded a 1.25 goals-against-average, a .770 saves percentage and 57 saves while registering two shutouts. Syracuse has outscored its opponents 48-19 on the season. The Orange has outshot its counterparts 310-155 and hold a 148-98 advantage in penalty corners.
Scouting Villanova
Villanova (6-9, 2-3) defeated Georgetown, 6-0, in its lone game last weekend on Friday, October 22 at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pa. Villanova has been outscored by its opponents 36-32 this season. The Wildcats have been outshot 222-193 and have taken a mere 112 penalty corners compared to their opponents 143. The Wildcats are an experienced team led by its four senior forwards who have accounted for 66 of their 90 points. Senior forward Dana Ramsden is first on the team with 19 points off seven goals and a team-best five assists. Senior forward Abby Sordoni has a team-high eight goals and one assist for 17 points. Senior forward Lauren Wuzzardo has 16 points off seven goals and two assists. Senior forward Meredith Sabatini has 14 points off five goals and four assists. Sophomore back Kristen Davila leads the BIG EAST with five defensive saves. Junior goalkeeper Megan Goelz is tied for third in the BIG EAST with four shutouts.
Orange in the Record Books
Senior back Maggie Befort has scored a school record 120 points in her four-year career. Befort is also second on SU's all-time assist chart with 48 and fifth in goals scored with 36. All-American# Martina Loncarica# ranks first on SU's all-time assists list with 54. She is also second on the all-time points list with 112. All-American Lindsey Conrad has scored a school record 44 goals. She is also third on SU's all-time points list with 106.
Orange All-Time Greats
Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad ranks fourth among active players in career points with 150 and fifth in career goals with 63. Senior back Maggie Befort is seventh among active players in career assists with 48 and 11th in points with 120. All-American Martina Loncarica is second among active players in career assists with 54 and 13th in points with 112. Syracuse is the only team to have three players record 100-plus career points. Sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver leads active players in career saves percentage at .830 and is seventh in career goals-against-average at 1.27. Head coach Ange Bradley's winning percentage (.718) ranks sixth among active coaches.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
The Orange is first in the BIG EAST in shots per game (19.38). Syracuse is fifth in the nation in penalty corners per game (9.25), sixth in goals-against-average (1.12) and ninth in saves percentage (.779). Syracuse has been ranked in the top 10 for 30 consecutive weeks. SU was ranked 17th on August 28, 2008, but moved up to number seven a week later and has not dropped out of the top 10 since. Syracuse's 2-1 overtime loss to Kent State on September 4 was its first loss to a non-ranked team since October 25, 2007 (52 games ago). The Orange is now 54-37-12 (.583) in overtime games. SU is 5-2 (.714) this season and 12-5 (.706) during head coach Ange Bradley's tenure. With its 1-0 double overtime victory versus No. 4 Connecticut, Syracuse raised its total number of wins against ranked opponents to seven. SU has also defeated No. 14 Ohio State, 2-1, No. 17 Old Dominion, 3-1, No. 10 Louisville, 4-3, No. 18 Albany, 2-1, No. 20 Stanford, 2-1, and No. 14 Boston College, 3-2. Syracuse is 10-0 when it scores in the second half, 11-2 when it takes 15 or more shots and 10-2 when it scores first. Now in her fourth season at the helm of the program, Ange Bradley has compiled an impressive record of 64-17 (.790) through the start of the 2007 season. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Orange has lost 10 contests, compiling a 22-2 record in its historic 2008 campaign and a 18-4 mark in 2009. Over that span of time, Bradley has compiled a .839 winning percentage (52-10), a testament to the team's competitiveness nationally.
Foreign Flair
The Orange boasts six international players on its roster. Each one has made significant contributions this season. All-American# Martina Loncarica# (Buenos Aires, Argentina) leads the Orange with 24 points off a team-high nine goals and second-best six assists. She is first in the BIG EAST Conference with six game-winning goals. Freshman forward Leonie Geyer (Neuss, Germany) has registered 22 points off five goals and a team-high 12 assists. Sophomore back Amy Kee (Hertfordshire, England) has racked up 13 points off five goals and three assists. She also has one defensive save. Sophomore back Iona Holloway (Newton Mearns, Glasgow) has played in 14 contests for the Orange, recording five points off two goals and one assist. She was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts against Northeastern and Northwestern. Junior midfielder Liz McInerney (Dublin, Ireland) has started in all 16 games for Syracuse. She has five points off one goal and two assists. Freshman back Laura Hahnefeldt (Hamburg, Germany) has started 15 games for the Orange, helping limit its opponents to 19 goals off only 155 shots. She was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts against Albany.
Orange Field Hockey Hits Season High
The Orange received 688 points and a season-best No. 7 ranking in the Kookaburra / NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll released on October 25. It is the highest Syracuse has been ranked since it was fifth on November 3, 2009.
Orange Sweeps Weekly BIG EAST Awards
The Orange swept the BIG EAST weekly honors as All-American Martina Loncarica was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, while sophomore back Amy Kee took home Defensive Player of the Week honors. The awards are the second offensive and fourth defensive accolades for the Orange this season. Loncarica recorded the game-winning goal in both of Syracuse's victories last week. She blasted a pass from freshman midfielder Leonie Geyer into the cage in the second overtime, giving the Orange a 1-0 victory versus No. 4 Connecticut October 23. The junior also tallied the game winner in a 3-2 win against No. 13 Boston College on October 24, converting a penalty stroke with a little more than five minutes remaining. Loncarica has registered six game-winning goals this season. She has scored a team-best 24 points off a team-high nine goals and six assists. Loncarica ranks second on SU's all-time points list with 112 and first on the all-time assist chart with 54. Kee helped Syracuse go 2-0 last week, leading a defense that shut out No. 4 Connecticut and edged No. 13 Boston College. The sophomore factored into two of SU's three goals against Boston College, recording a goal and an assist. She helped the Orange clinch the BIG EAST Conference Regular-Season Championship with the victory versus UConn. This is Syracuse's third consecutive regular-season title.
ECAC Offensive Player of the Week
The reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week Martina Loncarica was also named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Offensive Player of the Week for her performances in Syracuse's victories against No. 4 Connecticut and No. 14 Boston College last weekend.
womensfieldhockey.com Honor Roll
The reigning BIG EAST and ECAC Offensive Player of the Week Martina Loncarica was also named to the womensfieldhockey.com Honor Roll for her performances in Syracuse's victories against No. 4 Connecticut and No. 14 Boston College last weekend.
Last Weekend in Review
Syracuse went 2-0 last week, shutting out No. 4 Connecticut 1-0 in double overtime on October 23 to clinch at least a share of the BIG EAST Regular-Season Championship for the third consecutive year. The Orange also beat No. 13 Boston College 3-2 on October 24. All-American Martina Loncarica blasted a pass from freshman midfielder Leonie Geyer into the cage in the second overtime to lift Syracuse to a 1-0 victory versus No.4 UConn on Oct. 23 at J.S. Coyne Stadium. The win clinches the SU's third consecutive BIG EAST regular-season championship. SU gave a strong defensive effort led by sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver. Stiver recorded 11 saves to help SU overcome two five-minute periods where it played shorthanded including the last five minutes of the first overtime where it played six on seven. Loncarica netted a penalty stroke past Boston College graduate student goalkeeper Kristine Stigas into the bottom left corner with 5:10 left in the game to propel Syracuse to a 3-2 victory against No. 14 Boston College on October 25 at J.S. Coyne Stadium. Sophomore back Amy Kee factored into two of SU's three goals, recording a goal and an assist. Sophomore back Iona Holloway netted SU's other goal. Syracuse outshot Boston College by a slim 14-13 margin and took eight penalty corners compared to the Eagles' nine.
