HAMILTON, N.Y. - The rain continued to fall as Colgate lined up for its third corner kick of the game. The Raiders only trailed by one in the final minutes, and Syracuse (3-2-1) seemed destined for another tie with each attack late in the game.
Colgate upped the pressure on the defensive line in the final minutes, challenging the Orange squad to hold on for a third consecutive shutout. Despite the pressure, the defense stayed focused on finishing a second half that it had dominated and secured the road victory.
"It was a little chaotic, but we held our own," sophomore defender Casey Ramirez said. "They had that almost-corner kick goal, but we stayed composed and we got it to the corner. So we played smart about it and just wasted time."
The squad held Colgate to 11 shots, only one of which was on net, en route to its third consecutive 1-0 victory. The win came in very harsh conditions, as rain poured steadily for much of the game.
Colgate made the game very physical in the second half by making aggressive tackles and challenges, which SU head coach Phil Wheddon suggested was a move to throw his players off their game. Though he said the move worked, he was pleased with how his team reacted.
Ramirez saw the challenge in playing a very physical squad, but she was satisfied with how the defense performed.
"We definitely got to the ball more, and we won more 50-50 balls than they did," she said, "So I think that kept us ahead of them."
Ramirez said that the defense has started to communicate better during games. On Friday, the players were audibly shouting to one another to direct each other into position.
Freshman defender Patricia Lind thought that timing was also important in countering Colgate's physical play.
"Timing is better," she said. "If somebody goes up to attack, somebody stays back and helps her if she lost the ball."
Lind said she thinks the secret behind the defense has been chemistry. The players now know where their teammates will be positioned and where they will move.
Wheddon once again attributed the success of the defense to its increased familiarity.
"It takes a while for people to play with each other, to get used to playing together," he said. "I think the four ladies playing in the back have done an outstanding job. They're getting to know each other a lot better, they're minimizing their mistakes, and they've really been an anchor for us."
The squad still has plenty of room to improve, though. Despite keeping the ball out of the defensive zone for most of the first half, the Orange allowed several scoring chances in the final minutes.
"The defense stepped up and made the plays they needed to make, but at the same time, we shouldn't be giving them those opportunities," Wheddon said. "That's again that little bit of understanding each other or a little bit of a lack of maturity in the team recognizing where we are in the game. We're 1-0 up in the game and we've got 20 minutes to go, we don't necessarily need to be sending lots of numbers forward. It's about managing the game."
Lind and Ramirez, along with senior Chelsea Berry and freshman Laura Jackson, played all 90 minutes on defense. They also made contributions on offense, including a deep free-kick by Jackson that almost snuck past Colgate's goalkeeper.
The team's desire to hold onto this shutout was a group effort, as even freshman midfielder Tina Romagnuolo made a desperation save in the final minutes, showing a potential change in this team's desire and ability this season.? "The ladies have done a great job," Wheddon said. "We've managed three games 1-0 now, so that shows us that we can do that. We've shown that we can fight back from goals down. I'm very happy with how the team's progressing."
jflaboon@syr.edu
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