WSOC : Syracuse earns draw with No. 12 Boston College
For Phil Wheddon, Thursday night was the best he has ever seen his Syracuse squad play since assuming the head coaching position three years ago.
Though the Orange only tied No. 12 Boston College, Wheddon walked away from this game knowing his team can challenge any opponent.
‘We know that we can play with the best teams in the country,’ Wheddon said.
Syracuse played Boston College tough on the road in a game that ended in a 0-0 deadlock. The Orange was able to overcome being outshot 14-4 by the Eagles to earn the tie and one point. The matchup with the Eagles served as a chance for Wheddon to measure his team’s progress early in the season.
And he was proud of SU’s performance.
‘When you go up against a team like this it’s a real test,’ Wheddon said. ‘Our players rose to the challenge.’
The Eagles best shot at a goal came in the first minute of the game, when a header from BC’s Kate McCarthy’s clanked off the post. Following that, the offensive pace slowed down on both sides, but in the second half the pace picked up again.
Boston College outshot Syracuse by a whopping 13-2 margin at the end of regulation, but SU stood its ground and hustled back on defense each time, forcing the Eagles into a lot of unproductive shots from 30 to 40 yards out.
‘We knew as soon as we turned the ball over we had to get back into a good defensive shape immediately, so if it was a 10-yard sprint or a 30-yard sprint, whatever it took, we had to get back and cover for each other,’ Wheddon said. ‘The players did that and I couldn’t be more proud of them.’
The SU offense was once again silent, though. The Orange managed just four shots and only two shots on net.
Though the Eagles dominated Syracuse statistically, Wheddon said Boston College officials told him after the game that they felt SU outplayed the BC in the second half.
In past games, Syracuse might have been intimidated, but Wheddon let his squad know the pressure was squarely on the favored Eagles.
‘The one thing I said to the players before we went out and played was that we have nothing to lose. They’re a ranked team,’ Wheddon said. ‘If they lose to us, they have something to lose. We can play freely with no pressure. People were expecting us to lose.’
Next up for the Orange is a Sunday afternoon matchup against Rhode Island. Wheddon wants his team to treat Rhode Island like another top notch program.
‘We never underestimate anyone. I hope that this becomes our standard now. You know that this is what’s expected,’ Wheddon said. ‘We push our players in practice and now they understand. Now that they see the results of all the hard work they’ve been putting in, they know how well they can play.’
And team morale going into the matchup Sunday couldn’t be higher. Wheddon said the entire team is feeling confident after the unexpected tie.
‘Everyone contributed,’ Wheddon said. ‘Now we believe.’
Published on September 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm
