Russell Performing in the Clutch

DURHAM, N.C. - When current Syracuse University men's basketball assistant coach Gerry McNamara was putting together one of the best performances in BIG EAST Championship history in 2006, junior forward Emma Russell of the field hockey team was 12 years old and living in her native Ireland. Now, Russell is putting together a Herculean effort of her own at the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Field Hockey Championship.

"I didn't know anything about Syracuse until Halloween my senior year of high school," commented Russell. "I didn't know anything about that or basketball. I only started following college basketball when I got here. I really like watching it though. It's one of the sports I really love watching here."

Through two games at the ACC Championship, Russell has scored a tournament-record six goals, including the game-winning goal in overtime against No. 1 North Carolina to send the Orange to its first-ever ACC Championship final. Syracuse takes on No. 11 Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium on the campus of Duke University.

"It is fun to see them," head coach Ange Bradley said. "I am so happy for our program. This is a first for us, getting a chance to play for an ACC championship. I am so proud of our kids and our team."

The Enniskerry, Ireland native had a historic night the day before the semifinal matchup against top-ranked North Carolina. Russell scored an ACC Championship single-game record four goals in the quarterfinals against No. 9 Boston College, avenging one of the team's four regular-season losses.

"She is playing and peaking at the right time of year, it is exciting," added Bradley. "She is just focused. She wants to win. She is our captain and she is carrying our team. It is a big part and the team is responding."

The First Team All-ACC selection is on a tear since the beginning of the month of October. She has scored at least one goal in every game since Oct. 5 at Princeton. For those keeping count, that is 13 goals in the past nine contests. In addition, the squad owns an 8-1 overall record during that stretch.

"I think our forwards and midfield's movement is really good right now," commented Russell. "Our midfielders are feeding the ball really well. We are working off each other well. It makes our forwards' jobs easier. In the forward line, we are just communicating a lot more. It's just clicking, it really is."

In the midst of a three-game losing streak at the end of the month of September, Syracuse looked to the month of October as the start of a new season and has not looked back since. Now, the team is one win away from its first-ever ACC Championship crown. The field hockey team would become the second Syracuse athletics program to win an ACC championship, joining back-to-back champions men's cross country.

"From when we started in the ACC last year, it's been a goal of ours to win an ACC tournament," said Russell. "This year we started off slow in the ACC, but we still had the belief that we could win it. We came here with that in our heads. We really believe we can do it and it would be incredible."

The Syracuse University field hockey team looks to avenge its last loss of 2014 when it takes on Wake Forest on Sunday in the tournament final. The final is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Syracuse University Athletics

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