Syracuse, N.Y. - Last season, the Syracuse field hockey team missed an opportunity for a championship because of Wake Forest, falling in the ACC tournament final.The Orange returned the favor Saturday afternoon at J.S. Coyne Stadium, running past the Demon Deacons 6-0. With the victory, the top ranked team in the country moved to 14-0 on the season and clinched the ACC regular season championship outright. The win tied the program's longest winning streak. The 2008 team also started 14-0.
Wake Forest (10-4, 3-2) managed only three shots on goal the entire game, none in the second half. The Demon Deacons struggled to get any kind of offensive flow and did not look like the sixth- ranked team in the country.
Graduate student Alma Fenne helped the Orange score five goals in the first half, recording a hat trick and an assist.
"It was ridiculous, scoring five goals in the first half," Fenne said. "It all came together really well for us. But the first thing we said in the locker room is don't put it on cruise control. We have to play tough in the second half."
Fenne-Lamison Connection
Fenne took control of the game early, scoring just four minutes into the game and then twice more within 40 seconds of each other in the final two minutes of the half.
"I had a really good connection today with Emma (Lamison), which allowed me to play better," Fenne said. "She kept setting me up and I kept scoring goals. It was a lot of fun today."
Lamison scored a goal of her own in the first half and assisted on two of Fenne's goals.
"We were able to manipulate the defense today," Lamison said. "And I think a big part of that is how much the two of us like to play alongside each other. When I didn't have a shot, she would be right there for me to dump it off to. It's great to play with her."
Sophomores Erin Gillingham and Roos Wears each added a goal to round out the scoring.
Head coach Ange Bradley was proud of the team, especially Fenne and Lamison for being able to take out a team the Orange have had trouble with in the past.
"We know how tough they can be and the problems we've had with them," Bradley said. "Those two worked hard this week to be able to get in position to succeed and they sure did."
Pure Dominance
With the victory over Wake Forest, the Orange moved to 7-0 against ranked teams on the season. Syracuse has defeated the likes of then No. 2 North Carolina, then No. 4 Virginia, then No. 6 Stanford, and now No. 6 Wake Forest.
"When the competition is better, we have to play better," Lamison said. "I like the tougher competition because it forces us to play to the level we know we can be.
"We're a good team and this team has a mission," Bradley said. "They want to win an ACC Championship and they want to be in a position to play for a national championship again. We know we have a heck of a long ways to go, but we're ready for it."
The Rest of the Road
Syracuse closes out it's home slate Sunday against No. 19 Princeton. After that, the Orange will hit the road traveling to No. 5 Duke to close out the regular season before the ACC tournament begins November 5 at the University of Virginia.
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