Heading into the Big East season, the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team sat at just 2-5. Granted, it had faced a daunting schedule. But it looked far from a team that came into its season with legitimate final four aspirations.

Fast forward four games later, and the team has completed a near-180 degree turn. Three games into the Big East season, the Orange sits at a perfect 3-0 in conference.

‘Once we got into Big East we finally started to click,’ SU senior Catherine Rodriguez said. ‘Everything’s coming together.’

Whether it was a matter of not jelling as a team or the schedule — according to LaxPower, Syracuse has played the toughest schedule — the team got off to a slow start. Six of the SU’s first nine games came against ranked opponents, and of those six games, five were on the road. All were losses.

But in the Big East, the team has a flawless record. It has won two straight games to bring its overall record back up to 5-6. And as it travels to face Georgetown (6-5, 4-0 Big East) on Saturday, it will look to continue that perfect start against its toughest conference foe.

Senior goaltender Liz Hogan has seen turnarounds like this one before.

‘Usually right around the Big East season,’ Hogan said of when the team starts to pick up the wins. ‘A game before, a game into. It’s usually when we have a turning point.’

This year, the wins in Big East play haven’t been easy. But they haven’t been close, either. SU beat Rutgers by four, crushed Connecticut 17-9 and beat Notre Dame by five.

The conference has been a little weaker than in years past, Rodriguez said. But by no means does that mean the team is taking its weekend opponent lightly. The Hoyas, like Syracuse, got off to a slow start. But like the Orange, they are also undefeated in Big East play.

‘I’m expecting a very good Georgetown that’s worked out some issues and some problems,’ SU head coach Gary Gait said. ‘They played a very tough schedule as well, and it’s going to be a battle. We’re going to have to play a great game to beat them.’

If SU wins, its defense may be a main reason. After giving up scores of 21 and 16 (twice), SU has held its last two opponents to a combined total of 16 goals. The Orange’s offense has come out of its shell, but it’s been the defense that has kept it in games.

Hogan said part of the slow start was because of all of the new players on defense at the beginning of the season. The communication is there now, she said, and with that comes tangible improvement.

‘It’s taken a long time,’ Gait said. ‘Everything we’ve been working on is starting to come into play. It just comes from feeling more comfortable and really getting to know each other a little bit better.’

If the Orange can keep up the pace in conference play, it can aim for the top seed in the Big East tournament. The winner of that gets the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

So even though SU got off to a slow start, it doesn’t have to hurt the team in the long run.

‘If we can stay strong in the Big East then that can be our way into the tournament,’ Rodriguez said.

That’s the plan right now. The tough schedule got the team to where it is regardless of record, and now its perfect conference record is on the line.

Winning the Big East is important for the team, Hogan said. But at this point in the season, it just wants to win. Period.

‘It’s certainly a motivating factor to do well,’ Hogan said. ‘(But) really that’s crunch time for us.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

Published on April 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu