No. 9 Syracuse Field Hockey’s Postseason Fear Factor
By: Sydney Chan | @SydneyO_Chan
It’s Halloween weekend, and for No. 9 Syracuse field hockey, the only thing scarier than ghosts and ghouls is the gauntlet of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Orange head into their final regular-season matchup on Saturday — a showdown at noon with conference-foe Louisville — with one last chance to sharpen their skills before postseason play begins. Sitting fifth in the ACC behind No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 4 Virginia, and No. 8 Duke, SU faces a league that features five teams ranked inside the national top 10. But in a conference full of monsters, the Cuse is out to prove it can be the one doing the frightening.
Last fall, Syracuse advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals before being eliminated by second-seeded North Carolina. With the tournament looming again and a chance to finish 12-4 overall, the Orange have the success and experience to turn that haunting memory into motivation.
The Orange Fear Factor
If there’s one thing opponents have learned this far, it’s that SU plays its best when on the road. The Cuse has been nearly unbeatable away from home, boasting a 5-1 road record that could rise to 6-1 with a win in Louisville. That would mark a step forward from last season’s 6-3 road mark.
Syracuse comes off a 3-1 win against Boston College in Chestnut Hill in its eighth-straight week ranked in the national top 10 — the longest such run since 2016. The Orange have also won three straight games against the Cardinals dating back to 2021, a streak that SU head coach Lynn Farquhar and the Cuse can extend to 4-0 this weekend.
Syracuse’s success comes through several players. Grad student Bo van Kempen and senior Pati Strunk have been consistent dominant forces. Van Kempen is tied for second in the nation in goals per game (1.27), while Strunk is the nation’s leader in assists (1.27). The rest of the team has also been showing out — eight players register two or more goals. In net, junior Jessie Eiselin and freshman Tane King have mastered their goalkeeper rotation, with both holding a strong presence in the cage. King sits at 30th in the nation with her .744 save percentage.
Pressure Points
But the Orange also have their vulnerabilities, with a 1-2 record this season against teams ranked in the top 5. In a conference as unforgiving as the ACC, that record leaves little margin for error. Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia, and Duke have each exposed SU’s challenge of maintaining composure and consistently against elite opponents.
For the Cuse, the key moving forward is finishing games the same way they start them. Its defensive structure has been reliable, but Syracuse has occasionally struggled to sustain offensive pressure late in matches.
Saturday’s Mission
Louisville presents a fitting final matchup. The Cardinals enter chasing redemption after a 2-1 shootout loss to Boston College, the same Eagles squad Syracuse topped last week. This weekend, the Orange can’t afford a let-up. Saturday’s result won’t just determine SU’s final seed in the ACC Tournament — held at Louisville beginning on November 4 — but could influence its NCAA Tournament standing as well. Currently ranked ninth in the nation, the Cuse is in solid shape for a tournament bid, but a strong showing in their regular season finale would cement its resume before the selection show on November 9.
If Syracuse can keep its defense poised and airtight, its attack aggressive and precise, and its focus and composure steady, the rest of the ACC may have something to fear. Because in a conference full of national powerhouses, the scariest team in November may be the one wearing Orange.
