When Syracuse lost 3-0 to Connecticut in September, SU head coach Ange Bradley called the loss a “learning moment.”

“This is an opportunity of, where do we want to get in November?” Bradley said after the game.

Syracuse’s next game is Nov. 1, and the Orange still haven’t solved an issue that’s plagued them most of the season.

No. 17 Syracuse (8-7, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) is headed into the ACC tournament Thursday against No. 3 Duke on the NCAA tournament bubble, partially because the Orange have struggled to prevent opposing teams from going on scoring runs. Four times this season, SU has lost a game it led in. The Orange have conceded goals in bunches, and now, SU is in danger of missing the 18-team NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.

“We have to stay tuned in mentally,” Roos Weers, SU’s most experienced defender, said. “Sometimes, either we’re down early and didn’t start 100 percent fresh, or we’re up early and we kind of lose focus.”

This problem dates back to the fourth game of the season, when SU scored the opening goal against Virginia. The lead didn’t hold, and the Cavaliers scored 42 seconds later, eventually winning in double overtime. At that point, it was the Orange’s first loss of the season. Now, Virginia sits at No. 16 in the NFHCA Coaches’ Poll, one spot ahead of SU. That extra conference loss could prove the difference in the Orange’s tournament chances.

Syracuse led by two goals against California on Oct. 7, but then Claire Webb received a yellow card. While she sat in the chair near the scorers table, the Orange conceded twice in five minutes. With one fewer player, SU was opened up on the counterattack for the first goal, and Melina Moore knocked the ball out of the air to score. It was 2-1, and Syracuse remained on the defensive.

Four minutes after Cal’s first goal, SU conceded again, this time on a penalty corner. Before another ball was hit, Bradley called timeout. The Orange had blown a two-goal lead against a 3-8 team. Syracuse won 4-2 that day, but the lapses in focus remained an issue.

“We wanted to start with a fresh start in October, we’re 2-0,” Weers said after that game.

It was the last win SU had in October.

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The Orange tried to settle down after conceding goals by earning penalty corners, senior Jamie Martin said. They practice corner routines for almost an hour a day. With Weers’ drag flick as a key goal scoring weapon, the Orange turn to her to provide stability.

“She (Bradley) reminds us to stick to what we’ve learned,” Martin said. “She always talks about trusting the process.”

Defending penalty corners, though, has proven more difficult for SU.

After the win against Cal, Syracuse took the lead in the eighth minute against then-No. 16 Wake Forest. Ten minutes later, the Orange had conceded two penalty corner goals and trailed. Syracuse lost 4-1, conceding all four goals off set pieces.

On senior night against then-No.10 Louisville, Weers’ two goals vaulted the Orange into a late lead. Needing a win to avoid its worst ACC regular season record since joining the conference, the Orange allowed two goals off penalty corners and lost 3-2.

After the game, Bradley said the team had failed its seniors.

“It’s focus and preparation,” Martin said on Oct. 24. “We’re young, so there’s always going to be a learning curve. We’re getting better at it every game, so we just have to continue to grow.”

Yet against then-No. 12 St. Joseph’s on Saturday, the Orange wasted a sixth-minute lead. Freshman Kira Wimbert entered the game and scored within a minute. Then, the Orange conceded two goals in 56 seconds.

Even after equalizing just before halftime, Syracuse needed a strong second half showing and a win to almost ensure a berth in the NCAA tournament. The Orange conceded two goals in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Coming out of halftime, SJU pounced on the Orange’s sluggish passing and movement.

“They wanted it more than we did,” Weers said. “If we had won that game we would have been in a way better position than we are at the moment. We got a little distracted. We focused too much on the score and the time.”

Heading into the game against Duke, Syracuse sits at No. 10 in RPI, a promising sign for their tournament chances. But its coaches’ poll ranking is No. 17, too low for them to qualify for one of the eight at-large bids. Weers said Thursday is a must-win. Martin agreed.

“We need to focus on getting one more,” Martin said. “If we lose Thursday, I think we’re done.”

Published on October 30, 2018 at 11:55 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo