Syracuse spent all of last week gearing up for a matchup with then-No. 2 North Carolina. This week, the Orange has been doing the same thing.

In the new NFHCA Coaches poll Tuesday, SU’s first opponent of this weekend, Old Dominion, climbed 10 spots to the No. 2 spot. Syracuse blew a two-goal lead against the Tar Heels last weekend. But SU is grateful for another opportunity against the Monarchs.

‘Not a lot of people get a second opportunity,’ freshman midfielder Jordan Page said. ‘And I think that if you don’t take good care of the opportunities you are presented, they will most likely be taken care of by someone else.’

Syracuse takes on the Monarchs on Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader on Ohio State’s campus this weekend, the second doubleheader in as many weekends for the No. 5 Orange. SU (2-1) will take on unranked Ohio State (2-3) on Friday. The Buckeyes do have history with head coach Ange Bradley’s squad, eliminating the Orange in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.

But while SU is looking for two wins this weekend, the main focus is undoubtedly Old Dominion. 

After defeating then-No. 1 Maryland this past Friday, ODU was right behind North Carolina for the No. 1 ranking in Tuesday’s poll, earning 14 of the 31 first-place votes. But SU will take the field against the Monarchs with the same feeling it had when it traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C.

Syracuse is more concerned with the opposing team on the field than the ranking listed by its name, junior back Iona Holloway said.

‘Rankings are what they are,’ Holloway said. ‘They’re not something that we pay particular attention to.’

Holloway’s sentiments mimicked those of Bradley’s one week ago when she called Syracuse the ‘most threatening’ team to itself this year.

The Orange has maintained an aggressive approach on the field through three games no matter how highly regarded its opponents have been so far. With its only loss coming to the current top team in the nation, SU has executed well so far.

Syracuse’s mentality didn’t waver in a 4-1 win over then-No. 11 Wake Forest this past Saturday, just one day after the Orange was defeated.  

Holloway said that disposition of consistency is just the Syracuse way.

‘We are an attacking team,’ Holloway said. ‘Our press is attacking, we play hard defense. Nothing changes particularly from week to week.’

Syracuse’s first matchup of the weekend — although not as big this year — is a rematch for a disappointing result last year. The Orange fell to Ohio State 3-2 in overtime of a second-round matchup in last year’s NCAA tournament.

Though the seniors on that team are gone and the freshman class hadn’t yet joined Syracuse, roughly half the players who were there that day in University Park, Pa., are still on roster. And they haven’t forgotten that matchup.

Sophomore back Laura Hahnefeldt still remembers how she felt walking off the field. The team’s hopes and dreams of reaching the final four were gone, just like that.

But this is a new team and a new year. Rather than looking back, Hahnefeldt and the Orange are moving forward.

‘We fought so hard and now that we have another chance, we really want to make up for it,’ Hahnefeldt said. ‘We really want to be at the top of the rankings, and it’s a good opportunity to play them to see where we are.’

A win over OSU would provide the Orange with a small taste of redemption. But as far as moving to the top of the rankings, a win over Old Dominion would make a stronger case.

In addition to dethroning the Terrapins, ODU defeated then-No. 3 Virginia two days later. The Monarchs also knocked off then-No. 8 Penn State and then-No. 10 American earlier in the season.

Syracuse hopes to avoid being on Old Dominion’s growing list of top-10 victims.

ODU’s impressive resume, paired with the fact that SU lost in its first opportunity to beat the No. 2 team in the country, adds up to a lot of motivation, said Holloway.

The Orange won’t go down without a fight.

‘We’re just really excited to get another chance to play a very highly ranked team who has come out really strong at the start of their season,’ Holloway said.

sebail01@syr.edu

 

Published on September 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1