Syracuse finished practice last Wednesday by moving the goals in, to about 30 yards away from each other. Players lined up behind each goal and began a drill in which they had a one-on-one chance against each “team’s” goalie.

Practice didn’t end until one side scored 15 times. Head coach Phil Wheddon hoped it would help the team increase its scoring, which it did against Boston College on Saturday, breaking through late in the second half with three goals for a shutout win.

“We’re defending pretty well, but you need to score goals to win games,” junior midfielder Jackie Firenze said after practice on Oct. 1. “We’ve been doing our very best to make the most of our chances.”

Syracuse (5-5-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) hopes to continue to finish its attacking opportunities when it faces No. 2 Florida State (11-1, 4-0) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida. SU’s first three ACC games were all decided by one goal, but the team didn’t fully capitalize until its fourth conference matchup, against BC. Then, the Orange scored on three of its ten shots.

But the Seminoles have shut out opponents in eight of their 12 games and have not given up more than two goals in a game all season.

Playing in what’s widely regarded as the top conference for women’s college soccer, the importance of taking advantage of opportunities is heightened.

“There’s a lot of focus on finishing the chances we do have, because we won’t get many,” said junior defender Taylor Haenlin. “We can be as solid as we want defensively, but we need to score too.”

There has also been a lot of emphasis in practice on not simply shooting, but finishing, Haenlin said. Shooting is simply kicking the ball toward the goal, she said, whereas finishing is actually putting the ball into the back of the net.

Saturday’s win and offensive success gave Wheddon’s team confidence that it could play with the big-time soccer powerhouses of the ACC, he said. Firenze added that she believed it was a turning point for the attack.

Before it’s victory over Boston College, the Orange had only one goal on 17 shots in ACC play.

While the practices and drills leading up to the Boston College game may have helped the team finish better, sophomore defender and midfielder Rebecca Pongetti said SU still has a lot of work to do.

“We need to keep working as hard as possible and not take anything for granted,” Pongetti said. “We’re playing some of the best of the best. We just want to expose teams when we can and take advantage of the few chances defenses will give us.”

Published on October 9, 2014 at 12:09 am

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu