NEW WATERS: Bradley preaches ‘shark attack mentality’ as Orange tries to repeat final four run
Ange Bradley is relying on S.A.M. to return to the final four. Without S.A.M., the Syracuse field hockey coach fears her team will struggle to contend for a Big East championship this year, let alone a national title.
But don’t expect to see S.A.M. on the field, scoring goals, dishing out assists or stonewalling opposing players. That’s because S.A.M. isn’t a tangible entity, but rather an acronym for Bradley’s theme of the season: ‘Shark Attack Mentality.’
‘That’s sort of what we’ve instilled as our new trademark for Syracuse field hockey,’ Bradley said. ‘S.A.M is our initials. We’re an extremely mentally-tough team, and it’s a shark attack mentality. We want to just keep it going because sharks never stop swimming, or they die.’
The same applies to SU’s killer instinct, which is another one of Bradley’s concerns going into this season. Last year, the Orange compiled a 22-2 record en route to its first national semifinal appearance in school history, which raises the expectations for this year and leaves Syracuse more susceptible for a let down.
For No. 7 Syracuse (5-1) to remain atop the field hockey food chain, Bradley knows she’ll have to shield her veteran players from succumbing to complacency this season. And the reigning National Coach of the Year has already taken the necessary strides to prevent that attitude.
On the first day of preseason, she urged her players to forget about last season’s accolades, reminding them that the 2009 field hockey team has not savored success or experienced a final four. Six games into the year, Bradley’s stern remarks during the summer still resonate with junior defender Maggie Befort.
‘Last year we had a great season and that’s something we can’t just rest on,’ Befort said. ‘It’s a whole new season and all that matters is what we do this season, and it matters where we are at the end of the year.’
There have also been times when Bradley has taken more aggressive approaches to convey her message.
‘Allowing teams to score on us in the opening minutes and score on us at the end is not a shark attack mentality,’ Bradley said after the practice. ‘We forgot a little bit about that. We have to get that back and continue to work on that mental toughness.’
Despite Bradley’s desire to eradicate the memories of 2008, most of the returning Orange agreed there is no erasing the devastating, and demoralizing, emotions they experienced after the 3-2 overtime loss to Wake Forest last November.
Nearly a year after the defeat, Befort continues to cringe at the thought of Demon Deacon Hillary Moore’s game-winning goal, admitting that over the offseason she constantly replayed scenes from the final moments of the game in her mind.
‘It was heartbreaking,’ Befort said. ‘It was so heartbreaking. I don’t think I could do the final four again and fall a game short of the national championship again. Most of us were here for that. We remember how heartbreaking that felt and we’re working hard every day to make sure we never feel that way again.’
The Orange will have to complete that task without All-American midfielder Shannon Taylor and Heather Hess, the 2008 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, on the roster. Both players graduated last year, leaving the incoming squad with two gaping holes to fill.
SU assistant coach Guy Cathro can already attest to the difficulties in having to replace Taylor (the nation’s leader in goals and points last year) in the Syracuse midfield.
‘Shannon’s a big miss,’ Cathro said. ‘We knew we had to fill that spot, and we’ve been trying to create a system that’s going to work to get our better players in the game. We’ll always play the best players for each position.’
That remains to be seen in the Orange cage. Bradley has yet to pencil in a full-time starter six games into the season, choosing instead to alternate halves between graduate student Ashleigh McGowan and freshman Leann Stiver.
Bradley started McGowan in five of the six SU games, opting to play Stiver in the second half. Stiver, however, has logged more minutes than McGowan, playing in three of four overtime sessions this season.
And for now, Bradley isn’t rushing to make a permanent decision.
‘We’ll see,’ Bradley said of how she plans to use the goalies. ‘Right now, we’re playing them even, and if one can emerge over the other as a starter, then they’ll get the full 70 minutes. If not, then I don’t have a problem switching them. They’re both very solid goalkeepers.’
The inconsistency and inexperience in goal, as well as the departure of standout defender Anne-Sophie Van der Post, has placed additional pressure on the Orange offense. SU forward Lindsey Conrad, who leads the team with five goals this season, believes they will have to elevate their play to relieve some of the burden on the defense.
‘Forwards are definitely the first line of defense,’ Conrad said. ‘So as soon as we lose the ball or repress, then we need to step up and make a stop. It makes it easier for everyone behind us, and if we play our game, we can hang with anyone in the country.’
That’s where S.A.M. comes in. The Orange’s ability to overcome the poignant postseason memories and off-season obstacles relies on S.A.M. Without it, the team knows its pursuit of vindication will end in disappointment, rather than celebration atop the field hockey mountain.
‘It’s about starting over and establishing a new identity,’ Bradley said. ‘You’ve always got to keep that trademark of S.A.M, because the 2009 team has never been to a final four. We have zero. We have nothing but opportunity before us.’
