This afternoon, the Syracuse field hockey team will take its act to Storrs, Conn., to play first-place conference rival Connecticut at 5:30. The Orange may be playing its best field hockey in three years, but on paper, the match looks lopsided.

The Huskies are No. 7 in the country while SU is dangling at No. 20, the final spot in the poll. A win would put the Orange in a tie for first in the Big East. SU would take sole possession of first place, though, via a head-to-head tiebreaker.

Last year, SU wasn’t worried about getting the top spot in the Big East tournament. It didn’t even occupy any of the four spots, finishing with a 1-4 conference mark. Meanwhile, UConn captured its seventh regular season title in the last eight years (SU won it in 2001), took the Big East tournament crown and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, bowing out to eventual champion Wake Forest, 3-0.

‘(The Huskies) are a very skilled team,’ associate head coach Mary McCracken said. ‘They are very good at driving the circle and creating corner opportunities.’

UConn (14-1, 3-0 Big East) has posted eight shutouts this year. Syracuse has four. With 71 goals, the Huskies have scored more than James Bond and have only allowed 11 goals. SU has scored 37 goals this season and has yielded 26.

UConn head coach Nancy Stevens has gone outside of the country and recruited players from countries that are traditionally better skilled. Lauren Henderson of Zimbabwe is the reigning offensive player of the year in the conference. With 22 goals this year, she is making a strong argument for a repeat.

Lizzy Peijs, of Holland, is only a freshman, but sees significant playing time. She tallied two scores Saturday in a 6-0 whitewash of Rutgers. And junior Laura Puddle, from England, has nine goals in 2004.

The Orange (10-6, 3-1) has two international players, but neither of them plays.

Despite the difference on paper, the game may be close just because of the huge Syracuse-Connecticut rivalry. Even last season, when head coach Kathleen Parker’s squad was crawling to an early finish, the Orange fought its conference rival to a 2-1 loss. Now, UConn must not only contend with a winning Syracuse team, but an Orange assistant coach who has some familiarity with them. Amy Agulay spent the spring in Storrs working with the Huskies and has offered some great insight to Parker and the team, she said.

Agulay said UConn has such a large goal differential because its offense is relentless. It pushes girls up and attacks the penalty circle. It punishes teams with rebounds and a plethora of penalty corners.

‘Their corner unit is traditionally very good,’ McCracken said.

Most teams counter UConn’s heavy offensive attack with added defensive support. But Boston College and Villanova knew better. They tried to negate UConn’s strong offense with an offensive attack of their own. If a team can hound the offensive end of the field, it negates UConn’s strength. Although their strategies were futile, BC and Villanova made the games competitive, losing 3-2 in overtime and 1-0, respectively.

‘You know their tendencies of play,’ McCracken said of the Huskies. ‘You see them every year.’

Published on October 21, 2004 at 12:00 pm