Syracuse sets out to score at least four goals every game.

The Orange fell short of that mark Friday against Villanova, finishing with three goals despite taking 18 shots and eight penalty corners.

‘It’s a matter of making sure that you’re ready to play mentally, physically,’ SU head coach Ange Bradley said. ‘It’s just angles and being able to get the near-misses.’

No. 5 Syracuse (17-3, 5-1 Big East) easily defeated the Wildcats 3-0 in the Big East tournament semifinals. SU got away with a lackluster performance against an inferior opponent as it was faster and stronger than Villanova (8-11, 3-3). But against No. 4 Connecticut in Sunday’s championship game at 1 p.m., the Orange will have little room for error and must execute to earn the conference crown.

The top-seeded Huskies and second-seeded Orange will face off in the Big East tournament championship game for the fourth consecutive season, with SU winning in 2008 and 2010. Each matchup against UConn since 2008— including the Huskies’ 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Orange earlier this season — was decided by one goal. In those close games, every opportunity is crucial and SU can’t afford to squander as many scoring chances against the Huskies on Sunday.

Syracuse will have to maintain better spacing to achieve its four-goal target.

The Villanova shooting circle was packed with players from both teams during the majority of the team’s possessions Friday. Syracuse struggled to find a rhythm on offense with little room to operate, making it easy for the Wildcats’ backs to deflect shots. On some occasions, SU players inadvertently got caught in the path of a teammate’s shot attempt.

Instead of taking up space in front of the net, Bradley said Syracuse needs to spread out around the defense and attack the circle when the time is right.

‘If you’re constantly getting closer and closer to the goalkeeper, you’re giving yourself less of a chance to score,’ Bradley said. ‘You’ve got to be able to move away, open the space and then dive into the space and explode into the space.’

The lack of spacing also prevents rebound opportunities. SU has scored many of its goals this season on second- and third-chance attempts.

Rather than having players cut toward the net before a shot is fired, freshman midfielder Jordan Page said the team needs to wait and crash the net after shot attempt.

‘I think a lot of times as the front five, we collapsed on the goalie and it gave us hard angles to be able to get rebounds off of,’ Page said. ‘So I think that’s definitely one of the big things we’ll see when we watch video.’

Luckily for Syracuse, UConn and Villanova use similar defensive formations. The Orange knows what it needs to correct now for the championship game.

Senior Heather Susek said the SU forwards will look to attack from the wings and work the ball up the baseline against the Huskies.

‘Defensively, they kind of play in a square and a rhombus, so we know we have to stretch them and keep them wide,’ Susek said.

Against Villanova, the Orange saw a flash of success using that strategy late in the game.

Sophomore midfielder Leonie Geyer carried the ball down the right sideline, causing the Wildcats’ defense to come out of alignment.

As the backs scrambled to get in position, Geyer cut in toward the middle and found junior forward Kelsey Millman to the left of the net for an easy score.

If Syracuse wants to beat Connecticut Sunday to win its third conference tournament championship in four years, it must follow through on that game plan. If it does that, it should reach the four-goal mark it strives for every game.

For Bradley, the game plan can only do so much. At this point in the season, it’s all about execution.

‘There’s not much you can change right now,’ Bradley said. ‘ … There’s not a whole lot (to change), this is such a difficult skill.’

sebail01@syr.edu

Published on November 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1