To the Syracuse field hockey team, Providence is starving. The Orange knows that the only thing that will satisfy the Friars' hunger is defeating the Orange at its home field, the field that will be hosting this weekend's Big East tournament.
"It's their field, they are going to want to win it," Syracuse senior forward Tracy Deitrick said. "We have beat them before, and it's a repeat from last year's (Big East semifinal). We played them in the first round last year, and they are going to want to beat us."
The Orange (16-2, 6-0 Big East) faces Providence in the Big East tournament semifinals Saturday. Should it win, Syracuse will face either Louisville or Connecticut in the championship with a chance to win back-to-back conference titles. Syracuse won an undisputed Big East regular season title this past Saturday.
Providence is SU's third-most familiar opponent in program history. Of the 28 games between the two teams, the Orange has won 18 of the contests, including its last three meetings.
Though the Orange are 7-2-2 all-time against the Friars in Providence, head coach Ange Bradley knows that Syracuse could head home on Saturday night if it loses in the semifinals to the Friars. When the two teams last met on Sept. 26, the Orange played a strong first half, scoring both of its goals and outshooting Providence, 13-2. But the Friars cut the lead in half less than 10 minutes after halftime and outshot the Orange, 5-3.
Though Syracuse came away with the 2-1 win, Bradley said that her team needs to "step up to the plate."
"Well, you just have to play," Bradley said. "You have to play every minute, every opportunity you have you have to take so for us. We have to prepare for a dogfight and adversity."
Bradley said that Providence will likely challenge Syracuse's corner defense and will counterattack the Orange offense, which has produced 61 goals and 357 shots during the team's 18-game regular season. In comparison, SU's opponents have scored 23 goals and made 152 shots at the cage this season.
Another obstacle is the seven seniors playing for the Friars. Bradley said that the semifinal game is important to Providence because it is the team's only shot at getting a spot in the NCAA tournament. The 16 teams that will play for the national title will be selected on Sunday night.
To match Providence's mentality, Bradley stepped up her coaching during practice this week. "I'm pushing them," Bradley said. "Mentally pushing them a bit and challenging them to reach new heights and tighten some things up."
Should the Orange win on Saturday, there is a possibility of facing Connecticut once again. SU defeated Connecticut last year in the Big East championship after junior back Maggie Befort scored the game-winning goal with time running out. This season, the Orange beat the Huskies, 3-2, in double overtime, with Befort pushing the ball in during the penalty corner and allowing freshman back Amy Kee to score game winner.
Connecticut is SU's second-most familiar opponent and Befort said that she "fantasizes" about beating Connecticut again for its second straight title. But the team has to take it one game at a time, Befort said.
"Playing (Connecticut) is probably in the back of our mind," Deitrick said. "But Providence is the first step."
ddeguzma@syr.edu
- asst. copy editor Tony Olivero contributed reporting to this article.
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