Locked in a scoreless tie at halftime with in-state rival Colgate, Phil Wheddon knew his team was capable of playing more fundamental soccer.

Syracuse struggled to take care of the ball in the first half as careless turnovers caused problems for the Orange’s attack. The players were visibly frustrated by a more physically aggressive Raiders team.

“We came out in the second half thinking, ‘We have to win this game,’” forward Erin Simon said. “This was our game to win.”

The Orange (3-1) displayed better ball movement in the second half, utilizing a more compact formation and gradual buildup to pull out a 1-0 win over Colgate (3-1) in front of 722 fans at SU Soccer Stadium on Sunday. In the home opener on Friday, Simon sparked another second-half scoring spurt by scoring her first career hat trick and leading the revitalized Orange past Albany (1-2) 4-0 in front of 723 on its home turf.

On Sunday, Colgate’s intricate scheme gave SU fits for the entire first half. The Raiders positioned their forwards to play high up the field, forcing SU’s back line of defense to separate from its attacking unit. The Orange looked uncomfortable as it failed to advance the ball down the field with long passes over the top.

Wheddon admitted the Orange was taken out of its comfort zone against Colgate. The players were too stretched out, unable to transition the ball to the forwards and generate quality scoring chances.

“I asked the players to stay more compact,” Wheddon said. “When you’re spaced out, all of a sudden the passes you’re making are 15-20 yards instead of 10-15 yards. By being more compact, I thought we had more possession of the ball and played some good soccer.”

Syracuse set an up-tempo pace right out of the half. Playing with a tighter shape, the SU defense clamped down and created scoring chances by getting the ball out in transition. The Orange eventually capitalized in the 62nd minute when freshman Stephanie Skilton collected a loose ball in front of the net and put it past the right side of the keeper for the only goal the Orange would need.

Goalkeeper Brittany Anghel said the Orange had not been playing its trademark style of soccer in the first half, which emphasizes quick, two-touch passing and sharp ball movement. In both games this weekend, sloppy first-half play forced SU to rely on fundamental execution in the second half.

“We could have beaten (Colgate) by a lot more,” Anghel said. “But we got the result we wanted. As long as the defense is solid, we’ll take the win.”

On Friday, the Orange squandered plenty of goal-scoring chances against Albany, and held only a 1-0 lead at halftime on Simon’s first goal of the game. But SU gathered itself, listened to Wheddon’s advice about staying compact and played rejuvenated down the stretch.

Simon made a blind-side run past her defender in the 56th minute when Blake Johnson hit her in stride with a beautiful touch pass. Simon collected the pass, shimmied her way past the middle of the defense and scored her second goal of the game.

SU’s second-half turnaround was marked by aggressive play around the net, and Simon’s good fortune continued in the 81st minute. Freshman Jenny Olensky’s shot ricocheted off the post and bounced to Simon, who completed the hat trick by finding the back-left corner of the goal.

Simon’s face beamed with a radiant smile in the postgame huddle as her coaches and teammates congratulated her on becoming only the third Orange player to score three goals in a game. While Simon was satisfied with the larger outcome, she decided to relish a bit in her personal achievement after the game.

“Coach (Wheddon) was like, ‘I would give you the game ball, but they cost $150, so I really can’t,’” Simon said. “‘But I thought you played a great game.’”

Published on September 3, 2013 at 2:50 am