SU alumni on Coco Vandiver’s caused turnover record: ‘Ultimate hustle stat’
On March 28, Syracuse defender Coco Vandiver forced her 103rd career turnover, breaking SU's caused turnovers record previously held by Katie Goodale. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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Katie Goodale sent Coco Vandiver a text even though she knew Vandiver wouldn’t respond.
Goodale, a former Syracuse defender, watched SU host Pittsburgh on television from her Long Island home. This wasn’t anything new; she watches all of the Orange’s games.
But in this specific moment, a feeling of pride washed over Goodale. When Vandiver, her former teammate, jumped a passing lane between the Panthers’ Kaitlyn Giandonato and Gigi Leonzi, the ball broke free and landed on the turf.
One minute and 50 seconds later, after Mackenzie Rich scored, the broadcast panned to Vandiver. Goodale grabbed her phone and sent a message to her former teammate.
“I feel such gratitude to know her and have been part of her life for two years,” Goodale said of what she wrote. “I’m so proud of her and what she’s done.”
Vandiver didn’t see the message until after the game. It was likely one of many she’d received during those few hours. That takeaway — one of her two on the day — marked her 103rd career caused turnover, surpassing Goodale as the program’s all-time leader.
“Getting to hold a record like that is different than a goal record or an assist record. It’s portraying how gritty and how relentless you are,” Goodale said. “(Vandiver’s) someone who isn’t afraid to take risks. That’s exactly why she holds this record.”
Vandiver has been instrumental in the Orange’s current 11-game winning streak. SU’s defense ranks fourth nationally with a minuscule average of 7.21 goals allowed per game, and it hasn’t surrendered double-digit goals since Feb. 28 against Louisville.
Similar to the last two seasons, Vandiver is at the forefront of that success. The caused turnover record is another achievement on her already jam-packed collegiate resume.
Ilyan Sarech | Design Editor
The Daily Orange spoke with Syracuse alumni who rank among the program’s all-time leaders in caused turnovers about Vandiver’s record. Some of them know Vandiver personally, while others have only watched her on television. Each alum, however, agreed the record is a remarkable milestone.
“It’s the ultimate hustle stat,” said Halley Quillinan, who ranks fifth all-time with 96 takeaways. “She’s not only talking the talk. She’s walking the walk. It puts a smile on my face, because I know the program’s in great hands.”
Vandiver understood the program’s standard as soon as she arrived at Syracuse.
As a freshman, Vandiver’s “buddy” was Goodale. The two exchanged gifts before each game, and the two-time All-American frequently shared advice with Vandiver.
She was initially considered an underdog, but Vandiver embraced the label, Goodale said. Her confidence skyrocketed from the beginning of her freshman fall to her last game in May, and Goodale said that confidence has continued to blossom ever since.
As an elite defender, Goodale said success boils down to reaction speed and grit, both of which she claimed Vandiver excels at. But Vandiver is just the latest in a long line of defenders who embody those traits. She follows Goodale, Sarah Cooper, Quillinan and Bridget Looney, among others.
Looney, who played for the Orange from 2005-09, remembers practicing defensive drills solely focused on forcing turnovers. Although Looney was listed as a midfielder, she said some of her favorite moments came on defense.
She grew accustomed to eliciting takeaways — 101 of them, to be exact — and locating Quillinan or Katie Rowan Thomson upfield. It allowed Looney to push SU to four NCAA Tournaments and one Final Four during her years with the program.
While playing defense in practice, Looney often chirped at her offensive teammates if they tallied more turnovers than goals. Looney and Quillinan don’t know Vandiver personally, but they both see their same scrappy playstyle reflected in the senior defender.
“Coco and her unit play such an aggressive style of defense that really gets out there and puts the pressure on the passer,” Quillinan said. “They play so well as a unit, and she’s their catalyst.”
Quillinan, who now lives in Darien, Connecticut, watched Vandiver make history alongside her 6-year-old daughter. Quillinan’s daughter is starting her own lacrosse career, and Quillinan said Vandiver is a player she can look up to. Quillinan has repeatedly pointed out that Vandiver always plays with her head on a swivel and anticipates opponents’ next moves.
When Quillinan and Looney played under former head coach Gary Gait, they said they were often told the defense “sparks the fire” and “charges the momentum.”
Quillinan also played one year under then-assistant coach Regy Thorpe, Syracuse’s current head coach. Thorpe was a defender with SU men’s lacrosse from 1991-92, and Quillinan remembers his impressive “defensive mind.”
They play so well as a unit, and she’s their catalyst.Halley Quillinan, former SU attack
With the Orange’s defense on point week-in and week-out, she wouldn’t be surprised if Thorpe is working his magic again.
“Players out there consistently causing turnovers, changing the game in that regard, are players that are just hungry,” Quillinan said. “Their level of (competitiveness) is on another level, and they raise the level of play for everyone around them.”
Vandiver’s hunger stemmed from Goodale’s unparalleled four-year career. Goodale said caused turnovers are the dirty work. They take drive and relentlessness few players have. Yet to Goodale, no player encapsulates those traits more than Vandiver.
“I think having a caused turnover most of the time is harder than scoring a goal or getting an assist,” Goodale said. “It takes a lot more effort, and you can tell every single play she’s so dialed in.”
Throughout the season, Thorpe has said he’s equally focused on defense and offense. Despite being a former defender, most of SU’s defensive duties fall on Caitlin Defliese Watkins, who’s unlocked Izzy Lahah and Mackenzie Salentre to pair with established defenders like Vandiver and Kaci Benoit.
The core four, as Looney calls it, returns her to her playing days, when goalie Liz Hogan was supported by “The Enforcers”: Chelsea Strodel, Melissa Pearsall and Stephanie Bissett. That group was often reminded that a caused turnover can begin SU’s offensive success.
“It’s the ultimate control-what-you-can-control statistic,” Quillinan said. “Are you dialed in enough to be aware of what’s going on on and off the ball?”
Vandiver certainly is. Check the numbers. She’s forced at least one turnover in each game this year, ranking 12th in the nation with 34 total takeaways. Beyond that stat is the anticipation, IQ and drive for chaos Quillinan, Looney and Goodale saw in themselves and now see in Vandiver.
With Vandiver’s first takeaway against Pitt on March 28, she took on a legacy some of the sport’s best defenders built decades ago. Now, she’s trying to carry it somewhere Syracuse has never been before.
“She’s elevating what it is to be a defender and elevating the Syracuse defense in everything she does,” Goodale said of Vandiver. “She embodies what it means to be a Syracuse defender.”
