Takeaways from SU field hockey’s 6-0 start: van Kempen, defense shine
Through six games, Syracuse’s undefeated start has been powered by its stout defense and penalty corner prowess. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor
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Through six games, Syracuse field hockey is one of the best teams in the country.
Ranked No. 4 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll, the Orange have gotten out to a 6-0 start in head coach Lynn Farquhar’s third year running the program. It’s Syracuse’s best start since it opened 7-0 in 2017.
SU followed its season-opening 15-0 thrashing of Lock Haven with a 5-2 win over Fairfield, carrying that momentum into three straight wins over top-20 opponents.
After a 2-0 shutout of then-No. 16 Rutgers, Syracuse stunned then-No. 13 Ohio State with a 2-1 double overtime win before beating then-No. 11 Princeton 1-0 in overtime. For the first time all season, the Orange were forced to play from behind in their latest game against Lafayette, but their second-half domination boosted them to a 5-2 win over the Leopards.
Though its toughest games lie ahead with Atlantic Coast Conference play set to start, Syracuse has impressed in its first six games. Here are some early takeaways from SU’s undefeated start:
Bo van Kempen stepping up on offense
This offseason, SU’s biggest storyline was how it would replace the production of Willemijn Boogert. She was the heartbeat of Syracuse’s offense, earning All-ACC Second Team honors last year after racking up a team-best nine assists and seven goals.
Bo van Kempen has erased that concern.
After scoring 15 goals last year, the defender has nearly matched her production with 14 goals through Syracuse’s first six games. She’s currently tied for the national lead in total goals scored, goals per game (2.33) and points per game (five).
Against Lock Haven, van Kempen set program records with a six-goal, 13-point performance. The graduate student has now scored a hat trick in half of Syracuse’s games this season.
Her 29 shots lead the team, with no other player attempting 20. But her efficiency has been elite as well with 72.4% of her shots on goal and a team-leading 48.3% shot conversion rate.
The majority of her goals have come off penalty corners, but she’s also been clinical on penalty strokes, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the spot. In SU’s 1-0 win over Princeton, van Kempen didn’t hesitate before burying the game-winning penalty stroke in overtime.
With van Kempen as the focal point, Syracuse’s offense ranks second in the country in total goals scored (30), goals per game (five), total points (88) and points per game (14.67). The Orange will need van Kempen to continue her offensive prowess to preserve their undefeated streak entering ACC play.
Zoey Grimes | Design Editor
Stange and Strunk’s penalty corner prowess
While van Kempen has accounted for most of Syracuse’s scores, Liz Stange and Pati Strunk have set them up.
Coming into the season, not many could have predicted Stange and Strunk would be top-10 nationally in assists and assists per game, but both have been crucial in Syracuse’s penalty corner success so far.
Strunk, who often inserts the Orange’s penalty corners, didn’t register a single assist in her first season with Syracuse last year. This season, her 10 assists and 1.67 assists per game are second in the country. In SU’s season opener against Lock Haven, Strunk smashed SU’s previous single-game record of three assists with six against the Bald Eagles, five of which went to van Kempen.
Strunk only played 153 minutes last season, but currently ranks third on the Orange with 299 through six games. Her success with penalty corners has been crucial for Syracuse, and the Orange will need Strunk to continue her strong play moving forward.
The same should be said for Stange, who is tied for fifth in the country in assists (six) and tied for sixth in assists per game (1.00). In her first season with the Orange, the graduate student often delivered Strunk’s penalty corners to van Kempen. Stange transferred to Syracuse after spending her freshman year at Rutgers and then playing three years overseas, but she’s integrated quickly at SU.
Freshmen pulling their weight
With 17 newcomers and three of its top four point scorers gone, it was expected to be a transition year for Syracuse. That couldn’t be further from the truth, as multiple freshmen have helped transform the Orange into a force on both sides of the ball.
Behind van Kempen and Hattie Madden’s production, freshmen Aubrey Turner and Ally Snyder have stepped up on offense. Turner is tied with Madden for second on the team with four goals, with Snyder not far behind at three tallies after she netted two in Syracuse’s win over Fairfield.
Defensively, freshman Tane King has been one of the best goalkeepers in the country while splitting time with junior Jessie Eiselin. King’s 0.17 goals allowed per game leads the nation by a wide margin. She’s the only true freshman in the top 10.
Among goalkeepers who have played in all of their team’s games so far, King is also the only keeper in the country who’s conceded fewer than two goals.
Elite defense shutting down opponents
Anchored by King’s strong play, Syracuse’s defense has quietly shut down other teams. Last season, the Orange held their opponents scoreless six times.
Through the first six games, Syracuse has already posted three shutouts. When the Orange recently allowed Lafayette to score twice in the first half, it was the first time all season an opposing team had scored on SU in the first 30 minutes of play.
The Orange have almost scored as many goals (30) as shots they’ve allowed defensively (33).
Other teams have scored just 15.2% of the shots they’ve taken against the vaunted Syracuse defense, with just 54.5% of those shots on goal. Across the Orange’s 360 minutes of play, they’ve only allowed five goals, averaging one score allowed for every 72 minutes played.
When paired with its overwhelming offense, Syracuse’s defense has fueled its early rise to become one of the best teams in the country.
