Two weeks ago, just as the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team was set to begin practice, all 22 players formed lines for stretching. Only, the formation was a little skewed. Instead of forming straight lines, the girls filled out the shape of a triangle.

The three captains were stationed at the top, followed by the rest of the team, depending on seniority. Perhaps, the triangle formation was by design. More than likely, it was out of necessity, considering almost two-thirds of the team is comprised of underclassmen.

This coming year will test the moxie of the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team for a number of reasons. First, it’ll be the first year without its all-time leading scorer Leigh-Ann Zimmer. Second, it must replace its top defensemen, Stephanie Walker and at least three minor contributors who left the team for personal reasons. And finally, it must replace all except Zimmer with freshmen or sophomores.

‘All the classes have to contribute,’ said SU head coach Lisa Miller. ‘We never approached it as, you’re a senior: you need to lead. It’s, you’re a freshman: get it done. You’re a sophomore: get it done. You’re a junior: get it done.’

The departures and graduations have made the Orange back-loaded with young talent. There are only three seniors on the SU roster (Monica Joines, Courtney Palladino and Caitlyn Dragon), all of whom are captains. Also, there are only four juniors, three of which will likely retain starting roles. That leaves eight sophomores and seven freshmen, many of who will be counted on to start and provide leadership, no matter what their age.

Of the newcomers, Miller said Stephanie Bissett is the most polished. She’ll likely earn a starting spot at defensive midfield alongside sophomores Melissa Pearsall and Ashley Pike. Even though official starters haven’t been announced, Miller also likes freshman Allison Furstenburg at the attack spot.

Last season, Miller said the Orange relied too much on individual leaders like Zimmer and defender Jacquelyn Walker, meanwhile failing to play well as a team. This year, she says, will be different. But with so many young players filling key roles, how difficult will it be to even match the success of last year’s squad, which went 9-6 and 4-2 in the Big East and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament?

‘We’re going to find a way,’ Miller said, offering more blind faith than specifics. ‘That’s the bottom line.’

What that way is, though, isn’t exactly clear. The offensive production of Joines is a constant. And her offensive support consists of veterans Palladino and junior Melody Agnew.

But Miller sees SU’s defense as one of its strong suits, despite the fact that its core will be sophomores and freshmen.

‘Stephanie Bissett, you wouldn’t even believe that she’s a freshman,’ said SU goalie Jennifer Kasel. ‘Just her presence on the field. She’s big, she’s strong, she’s vocal. She is a great defender. (Pearsall), who’s only a sophomore, is the same way. She’s fiery and aggressive.’

Even with its youth, SU’s returning underclassmen do have a lot of game experience. Pearsall started 12 of 15 games last season. Pike, another sophomore, has started every game of her career, as has sophomore midfielder Jill DePetris. It’s led to a support system among the underclassmen.

While SU boasts three captains who have been with the program for four years, some of the freshmen said it’s easier and more comforting to learn from someone their age that has experienced starting right away.

‘(Pearsall) has been my guardian,’ Bissett said. ‘She’s not really intimidating. It’s not like asking a senior (for help). She’s very willing to help me out because she was there last year.

‘We’ll definitely turn to (the seniors) when needed, but the sophomores are more familiar with the new stage. I think all the freshmen feel that.’

The transition from fresh face to starter won’t be entirely easy. Some of the freshmen agreed, they will likely go through jitters or growing pains.

Sometimes in practice, the freshmen will be confused by a certain drill and will draw the wrath of Miller.

‘Sometimes we have no idea what’s going on,’ Bissett said. ‘We’ll be like, ‘um,’ and kind of be standing in the back, whispering to each other. ‘What do we do?”

Miller has acknowledged the fact that the bulk of her team is comprised of mostly underclassmen. It doesn’t matter. She says she expects them to keep up. She’s optimistic for a reason. This year’s freshman class reminds her of her first-ever recruiting class in 1998, which included Katrina Hable, SU’s second all-time leading scorer.

Because SU was a start-up program, many of the girls in that class were thrust into starting roles, and thus forced to learn on the fly.

‘The first recruiting class did everything collectively,’ Miller said. ‘It’s a better way. If you start relying on Leigh-Ann, or if you start relying on that one player to carry you, that’s not necessarily the best way to approach the game.’

True, SU lacks an impact defender like Stephanie Walker, but Miller said the young defense will be better as a group, especially going after ground balls.

Syracuse’s first challenge is Feb. 27 against Albany. By then, Miller should have somewhat of an idea whether the youth movement will pan out.

‘Because we’re young we need to be perfect every time,’ Pearsall said. ‘We can’t afford to make mistakes. And if we make mistakes, the other teams will want to take advantage of them because they know that we’re young.’

Published on March 7, 2005 at 12:00 pm