Syracuse lacrosse goalie Bethel Steele had no reason to expect to play last night against Brown. Her only action of the season came in the season opener against Albany, and Syracuse’s other goalie, Jen Kasel, seemed to have cemented her place in the SU lineup by going 5-2 in the first seven games.

But with SU leading by two with 13:54 left in the first half, Brown was closer than it should have been. Syracuse head coach Lisa Miller then did the unexpected – she put Steele in the game.

Although Steele didn’t face a shot in the first half, the goalie change sparked the Orange. The defense cut off all the lanes to the goal. The attack reeled off six straight goals and mounted an eight-goal lead going into halftime. It was a lead the Bears couldn’t overcome as Syracuse went on to win, 19-6, Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome.

Kasel seemed to have trouble seeing the ball whenever the Bears fired a shot her way and was a bit slow when trying to make saves. Miller first noticed the problem during warm-ups and had Steele ready to go in just in case Kasel’s problems translated over to the game.

‘Goaltending’s a tough position and there are times you struggle to see the ball,’ Miller said. ‘Bethel’s been practicing well. It helps Jen knowing the burden to win is not on her. Someone can come in and take over. (The substitution) made the defense play a little bit better in front of Bethel.’

At first, it looked like it was Steele who was afflicted with goaltending problems. She allowed a goal on the first shot she faced with 28:30 left in the second half. But Syracuse allowed Steele time to regroup, pushing the ball on attack for 14 minutes straight and rattling off seven straight goals before the next Brown shot.

And when Steele had another chance, she seized it. On a Brown free attempt, she stood strong as the ball bounced off her stick, to the ground and almost in the net before pouncing on it for her first save.

‘Bethel is a great young keeper,’ said Syracuse senior Monica Joines. ‘If Jen is struggling, Bethel can come in and get the job done. I wasn’t a bit nervous when Bethel came in.’

Steele didn’t see much action on her side of the field, making two saves and allowing two goals. Brown only shot at the SU goal five times in the second half. The two saves ties Steele’s career high, set against Cornell last year.

Despite the rave reviews from her coach and teammates, Steele will once again assume her position on the sideline in SU’s next game against Cornell on Tuesday. Miller felt Kasel was having a down day and Steele gave the Orange the best chance of winning last night. Each game she will make that assessment, and determine which goalie will play. Still, the Syracuse head coach quickly pointed out last night didn’t start a goalie controversy.

‘Bethel did a good job,’ Miller said, ‘but Jen still is our starting keeper.’

Published on March 30, 2005 at 12:00 pm