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s the Syracuse women lit up the scoreboard in this shortened 2020 season, its stingy defense held steady. Opponents averaged just seven goals per game against the Orange’s No. 1 ranked defense.
Yet, for some reason, it’s an offense headlined by likely Tewaaraton finalist Emily Hawryschuk that draws all the love. The defenders don’t seem to mind.
“It’s programmed in us that we’re strong and we’re tough. Playing defense, that comes with being not in the spotlight,” sophomore Sarah Cooper said Monday. “You know you’re more of a backbone.”
Senior Ella Simkins agreed. In a perfect world, a stout defensive performance leads to a dominant offensive one.
Syracuse is a finalist in the Nike / US Lacrosse Magazine Virtual NCAA Tournament, and it’s this potent combination of offense and defense that could have had the Orange primed for a championship run in real life had the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season.
“We don’t feel like we get overlooked,” Simkins said. “We work as a unit together. When we’re doing well and our offense is doing well, that’s when we have our best games.”
This transformation aligns with Cooper’s arrival on campus. In 2018, her senior season at Notre Dame Prep in Hampton (Md.), Syracuse went 9-10 and allowed 262 goals (13.8 goals per game). Syracuse head coach Gary Gait told US Lacrosse Magazine prior to the 2019 season that his team had “trouble finishing games” but lauded Cooper’s potential and expected big things from her right away.
So, Gait and defensive coordinator Caitlin Defliese changed the defense. They opted to shift the unit to more of a backer style, with Cooper in the back surveying the field and directing the other defenders — along with goalkeeper Asa Goldstock — where to slide.
Cooper played in a backer defense at Notre Dame Prep but played in the low post. Still, her experience in the system made her a fit behind the cage.
“The coaches are awesome for recognizing our strengths and our weaknesses, and we really fed off of that energy,” Simkins said. “Our coaches helped us perfect that to the point where we’re only allowing a couple of goals per game.”
The new defense prompted a turnaround. Syracuse went 16-5 in 2019 and allowed 10.5 goals per contest. While dominating much of its schedule during its 7-1 start to 2020, Syracuse held Albany, Binghamton and Colgate to three, two and four goals, respectively. It also pitched a first-half shutout on the road against Maryland in an eventual 10-5 win.
Cooper called that defensive showing against Maryland “incredible,” and Simkins said that “everyone dreamed of that but never dreamed it would actually happen.” Both players, though, highlighted a 16-11 win over Northwestern as potentially an even better example of how the defense can shut teams down.
Northwestern had entered that Feb. 22 game averaging 24.3 goals per game. The speed, dodging and overall efficiency of the Wildcat offense was going to be a test for the Orange.
They aced it, forcing Northwestern into 22 turnovers and limiting the team to just 19 shots on goal.
“Northwestern, they’re a hard dodging team. They have great girls,” Cooper said. “That was a super fun game. We were playing a pretty new defense to us. It was great.”
Cooper and Simkins are joined by Allyson Trice and Kerry Defliese, Caitlin Defliese’s younger sister. The quartet, along with Goldstock, bounced back from a 17-16 loss to Stony Brook in the Carrier Dome to hold opponents to five goals per game the rest of the way.
Simkins thinks they’ve laid the groundwork for sustained defensive success next season.
“I think we can only move forward, and we’re going to grow a lot more,” she said. “There are great things coming from our defense next year.”
And even if the defense isn’t in the spotlight, that’s OK with the Orange. They can probably even use that to their advantage, too.
Recognition or no recognition, the defense will do its job to support the offense. Good things happen when that happens.
“We have 100 percent trust in our offense,” said Simkins, “and we have their backs entirely.”