Syracuse University
Providence College
Syracuse on the Road Again
9/30/2010 12:23:41 PM | Field Hockey
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PROVIDENCE - The eighth-ranked Syracuse University field hockey team (6-3, 2-0) hits the road once again for a pair of contests this weekend. First the Orange travels to Providence, R.I. for its third BIG EAST game of the season at rv Providence College (2-6, 0-0) on Saturday, October 2 at 1 p.m. Syracuse concludes the weekend in Amherst, Mass. for a matchup with rv Massachusetts (4-6) on Sunday, October 2 at 2 p.m.
Providence Series Notes
Syracuse and Providence face off for the 30th time. The Orange leads the all-time series, 19-6-4 and has won the last four meetings. SU played the Friars twice last season, defeating them 2-1 in Syracuse and 2-1 in Providence in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship. The Orange is 8-2-2 all-time against the Friars in Providence.
Last Meeting with the Friars
The Orange defeated the Friars 2-1 at Friar Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in Providence on November 7, 2009 to advance to the BIG EAST Championship Final. The Orange scored both of its goals in the first half, outshooting Providence, 9-0 and holding a 7-2 advantage in penalty corners. Syracuse held on for the victory after being outshot 3-2 in the second half. Tracy Deitrick and current sophomore back Amy Kee netted goals for Syracuse. Current junior forward Heather Susek and All-American Martina Loncarica dished out assists for the Orange. Syracuse tallied 11 shots and 10 penalty corners, while Providence recorded three shots and five penalty corners.
Orange Players Against the Friars
Seven Orange players have recorded points in their careers against Providence. Senior back Maggie Befort leads the way with six points off two goals and two assists. Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad has recorded one goal and two assists for a total of four points. All-American Martina Loncarica has dished out two assists against the Friars. Current senior forwards Kristin Girouard and Shelby Schraden and current sophomore back Amy Kee have each scored one goal versus Providence. Current junior forward Heather Susek has one assist.
Massachusetts Series Notes
Syracuse plays Massachusetts for the 21st time. The Orange has won its last 12 matchups with the Minutewomen including a 5-2 victory last season at J.S. Coyne Stadium. Syracuse leads the all-time series 14-5-1. The Orange is 7-3-1 against UMass in Amherst.
Bradley against the Minutewomen
Syracuse head coach Ange Bradley is very familiar with the Minutewomen, having compiled a 12-2 all-time record against UMass. Her two losses came in 2001 during her first season at Richmond. While at Richmond, Bradley recorded a 42-0 record in the Atlantic 10, won five consecutive conference tournament championships and earned five NCAA Tournament invitations. Since Bradley's departure from Richmond in 2007, Massachusetts has won the two of the last three Atlantic 10 championships.
Last Meeting with Massachusetts
Current senior forward Shelby Schraden and current junior forward Heather Susek each scored two goals, leading Syracuse to a 5-2 victory versus Massachusetts on October 3, 2009 at J.S. Coyne Stadium. Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad netted a goal and dished out an assist for the Orange. Susek added two assists. Tracy Deitrick and All-American Martina Loncarica also tallied assists for Syracuse. SU outshot UMass 13-10 and held a 13-3 advantage in penalty corners. Current sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver made three saves in the cage for Syracuse.
Orange Players Versus the Minutewomen
Five Orange players have tallied points in their careers against the Minutewomen. Junior forward Heather Susek has six points off two goals and two assists. All-American Martina Loncarica has scored one goal and dished out three assists for a total of five points. Senior forward Shelby Shraden has netted two goals against the Minutewomen. Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad and senior back Maggie Befort have recorded two points. Conrad owns a goal and an assist, while Befort has tallied two assists.
Scouting the Orange
Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad, All-American Martina Loncarica and freshman midfielder Leonie Geyer pace the Orange with 12 points each. Conrad has recorded a team-best six goals, Loncarica has registered four goals and four assists and Geyer has tallied three goals and a team-best six assists. Junior forward Heather Susek has notched four goals and three assists for 11 points. Senior back Maggie Befort is next with eight points off three goals and two assists. Sophomore back Amy Kee has netted two goals and tallied two assists for a total of six points. She also has one defensive save. Senior forward Kristin Girouard has notched three points off one goal and one assist. Senior forward Shelby Schraden, sophomore forward Kelsey Millman and sophomore back Iona Holloway have each scored once. Junior midfield Liz McInerney rounds out the scoring with two assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver has played all but eight minutes for the Orange. She has a 1.39 goals-against-average and a .755 saves percentage. Befort has scored a school record 113 points in her four-year career. Befort is also second on SU's all-time assist chart with 47 and tied for eighth in goals scored with 33. Conrad has scored a school record 44 goals. She is also second on SU's all-time points list with 106. Loncarica ranks first on SU's all-time assists list with 52. She is also third on the all-time points list with 100. The Orange is first the BIG EAST in shots (176) and shots per game (19.56). Stiver leads active players in career saves percentage at .833 and eighth in career goals-against-average at 1.33. Conrad ranks third among active players in career points with 150 and third in career goals with 63. Befort is fourth among active players in career assists with 47 and ninth in points with 113. Loncarica is second among active players in career assists with 52. Head coach Ange Bradley's winning percentage (.715) ranks sixth among active coaches. Syracuse has been ranked in the top 10 for 26 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. The Orange is now 51-37-12 all-time in overtime contests. 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).
Scouting the Friars
Scouting the UMass
The Minutewomen (4-6) went 1-1 last week, defeating Vermont, 2-0, on September 24 before losing to Albany, 1-0, on September 26. Four of UMass' losses have come by one goal and all six have come to teams that were either ranked at the time or are currently ranked. Katie Kelly has recorded a team-best 12 points off a team-high six goals. Nikki Panciocco and Christine Cutry have both dished out a team-best two assists. Alesha Widdall has seen all the action in cage, registering a 1.38 goals-against-average and a .785 saves percentage.
Conrad & Stiver Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad and sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver were both named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for their performances in Syracuse's 4-3 overtime win versus BIG EAST rival and 10th-ranked Louisville on September 25. Conrad scored two goals in the victory versus the Cardinals. The senior forward became SU's all-time goal scorer with her first goal 6:13 into the game to put the score at 2-0. Conrad then showed her leadership, tying the score at 3-3 with just 5:49 remaining in regulation. Stiver recorded a career-high 10 saves in the win against UofL. The goalkeeper faced 19 shots, 13 on goal, and 15 Cardinal penalty corners. Stiver has played all but eight minutes for the Orange.
Last Weekend in Review
Syracuse won its only game last weekend, defeating BIG EAST rival No. 10 Louisville, 4-3, on September 25 at J.S. Coyne Stadium. All-American Martina Loncarica scored the game-winning goal in overtime off freshman midfielder Leonie Geyer's second assist to win. Two -time All-American Lindsey Conrad netted two goals for the Orange. Geyer scored off a direct penalty corner assisted by Loncarica and junior midfielder Liz McInerney at the 3:19 mark. About three minutes later, Conrad weaved through the Louisville defense and knocked in a shot past her sister, Cardinals' goalkeeper Erin Conrad, give the Orange a 2-0 lead. Louisville scored three unanswered goals, but Syracuse would not be denied. With 5:49 left in the game Conrad scored her second goal of the game, rocketing in a pass from Geyer to set up Loncarica's heroics. The Orange took 26 shots compared to the Cardinals 19. Louisville registered 15 penalty corners, while Syracuse had 13. Sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver tallied 10 saves for Syracuse.
