The top-ranked Syracuse Orange field hockey team scored two goals in the second half of play following a 1-1 tie to edge past No. 18 Boston College on Friday afternoon, 3-1. This was Syracuse's first time playing on its new field, which was upgraded this past summer.
Before the opening seconds ticked off the scoreboard, the Orange (5-0, 1-0 ACC) unveiled their 2015 NCAA Championship banner to a loud crowd. At halftime, Alyssa Manley [10], a 2016 graduate, was presented the 2015 Honda Award, which recognizes the top collegiate female athlete in their respective sport.
Senior Liz Sack [11] put the Orange ahead less than five minutes into the second half and senior goalkeeper Regan Spencer [12] came up huge with less than six minutes to go in the contest to preserve the victory.
The Eagles were on a 2-on-0 break, but Spencer stood tall, preventing the potential tying goal from finding the back of the net.
"[Spencer] is really stepping up", said teammate Lies Lagerweij [13], who scored Syracuse's first goal, her seventh on the season. "We needed someone to step up and I really think she did that. Her confidence grew a lot compared to last year, and I think she's a really selfless player, so it's paying off for her."
In the first half, a strange deflection caught Lagerweij in the side of the head. She was escorted off the field, but later returned. After the game she said she was fine, besides a minor bump.
Boston College’s Brittany Sheenan [14] opened the scoring a third of the way into the first half, stunning the fans. Lagerweij stepped up and tied the game 13 minutes later, and the team never looked back. The Orange, however, looked sloppy in the opening 35 minutes, with many of their passes not connecting and Boston College (1-3, 0-1 ACC) seemingly winning more 50/50 battles.
"We weren't smart with our circle entries," Orange head coach Ange Bradley [15] said about the opening minutes of play. "We put ourselves into a lot of unnecessary turnovers and we gave up a lot of control of the tempo. We played into our opponents hands."
Syracuse came out much crisper in the second half, dominating most of the play en route to its victory in the ACC opener.
Lagerweij said in the post-game that the team feels they have a strong home field advantage.
"We refuse to lose,” Lagerweij said. “This is our field, we don't lose here."
The Orange return to J.S. Coyne Stadium on Sunday to face off against No.14 Stanford at 2 P.M. Syracuse currently holds a 7-0 all-time record against the Cardinal.
