The Syracuse Women’s Field Hockey (14-2) team finished up its regular season on Sunday, October 30, with a 3-0 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers. The Orange now begin their post season journey, traveling to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to play Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Championship on Thursday, November 3.
SU Field Hockey Starts Defense of Natl. Championship Thurs @ ACC Tourn.
As the last regular season home game of the season, Sunday’s game marked Senior Day, honoring the teams five graduating senior players: Emma Lamison, Serra Degnan, Liz Sack, Lydia Fowler and Regan Spencer. These seniors were part of last years NCAA National Championship team and have seen the growth in themselves as well as in their fellow players.
“Today was senior day, always kind of an emotional day for everyone to be able to
look back and reflect on our regular season and also finishing it out on a positive note is going to be a good stepping board going forward," said Regan Spencer.
The team will look to keep their momentum as they hit the road this week and look to switch gears into the postseason. Liz Sack mentioned that the team feels good with their latest victory, but it also leaves them with room to grow, which is always a good thing
“You never want to peak too early. (The team’s focus is now) making every game feel like our last cause you gotta earn every game from here on out,” added Sack.
The senior players also bring lot of experience to the table, as they are now the oldest members of the team who saw the field last year in their 4-2 championship victory over the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
“The experience is definitely important as long as we use it to our advantage and remember what steps it took us to get to there last year, “ said Sack. “It was just every single game we were just being in the moment so I think taking that perspective and giving it to the underclassman, especially the freshman who really have never experienced it, but making sure its wide spread throughout the team.”
Being the 2015 NCAA National Champions and currently ranked No. 2 in the nation has not brought much added attention on campus. But their hard work is being recognized by the rest of the athletic department.
“We definitely have more of our friends from other teams, they come support us a lot more than they did before,” commented Sack. “From being a freshman to being a senior…it does feel like the campus athletic community kind of is more supportive of each other cause there’s more people going to games that they wouldn't usually for other sports.”
While Sack did mention the positive reinforcement she has felt from the rest of the Syracuse athletic community, she acknowledged that field hockey is no basketball so she doesn't expect to be getting a new pair of Air Jordan’s at the Final Four.
You can catch the No. 2 Syracuse Orange on the field versus the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this Thursday, November 3 at 1:30 PM on ACC Network Extra in the first round of the ACC Championship.