In a game against Boston College two seasons ago, Syracuse got its first real dose of competition in the much-hyped Atlantic Coast Conference. The Eagles were relentless from the start.

“Playing at BC, we knew the tempo was going to be faster and we had to be ready right out of the gate,” former SU forward Jenna Rickan said. “We sustained that pace in the first half, but the credit goes to the team for hanging in there for the whole game.”

SU will need to rely on its strength to compete with the fast-paced tempo when the Orange (4-2) travels to face No. 2 Virginia (6-0) on Thursday and Virginia Tech (5-0-1) on Sunday. Head coach Phil Wheddon has stressed quick ball movement and remaining compact on defense so the Orange can create scoring chances when the team makes its ACC debut.

The Orange has little experience playing against ACC opponents. SU played only one team in the conference over the last five seasons, when it squared off against the Eagles. That lack of experience could spell trouble for the Orange and Wheddon, who said that the speed of play in the ACC is a bit quicker than in the Big East.

On Sunday, Syracuse battled a very quick Connecticut team that was able to stretch out the SU defense with its athleticism. The Huskies repeatedly played long balls over the top and exploited holes in the Orange defense with their swift tempo.

Despite the 1-0 defeat, senior defender Kayla Afonso believes the loss was a beneficial stepping stone for SU.

“We got a taste of what the ACC might look like against Connecticut,” Afonso said. “We’ve been playing good teams, but it’s going to be a little tougher this weekend.”

The Orange defense must stay organized if it hopes to defend against the quickness of the Cavaliers and Hokies. Afonso said the defenders will pinch together and position themselves closer to the goal, rather than approaching the opponents’ forwards higher on the field, in an attempt to counter the speed and frustrate its opposition.

Wheddon has placed a significant emphasis on SU’s shape and positioning heading into this weekend’s slate of games.

“The one thing we can’t do is to get stretched out. It has to be a disciplined performance,” Wheddon said. “If we get too stretched out, Virginia will pick us apart like they did against Penn State and Rutgers.”

Another unfamiliarity of ACC competition is the playing surface. Every team in the league, apart from Pittsburgh and Boston College, plays on Bermuda grass, which is a common feature of all southern states, Wheddon said.

The slick surface, which Wheddon compared to a carpet, is like artificial turf and will lend itself to a back-and-forth game.

As a result, speedy ball movement will also be a point of emphasis for the Orange. SU will need to efficiently execute its combination plays on offense, which shouldn’t be a problem given the talented passing abilities of sophomore Erin Simon and freshman Stephanie Skilton.

“When we execute our one-two touch passing, teams can’t play with us,” junior forward Alexis Koval said.

When SU traveled to play Boston College in 2011, Rickan knew the Orange was a significant underdog. It’s a mentality the team will embrace once again as it tries to match the intensity against the dynamic tempo of the ACC.

“If you want to be the best team, you have to play against the best,” Afonso said. “Maybe our speed of play will change, because we need to adapt to the pace. But we’ll learn from it.”

Published on September 12, 2013 at 1:03 am