Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWomen's soccer heads back on the road after quick home stand
By David F. Baer
Posted: 10/9/09, 2:25 AM EST Section: Sports
Before the start of Wednesday's practice, many of the members of the Syracuse women's soccer team were running around and laughing, doing anything to stay warm.
You'd never be able to tell they were two days away from a pair of games that could determine the outcome of their season.
And in typical 2009 SU women's soccer fashion, these two contests are on the road in front of difficult crowds.
"West Virginia is a pretty hostile environment to play in," midfielder Hayley George said. "I guess it's going to be a double header so it's going to be tough, but I think it's going to call for a lot of us to be focused mentally. We can't come out just not mentally focused; we have to be ready for it because it's going to be pretty tough."
After starting their season with nine consecutive road games, and 10 of 13 overall, George and the Orange gained plenty of experience playing games away from home. To keep its postseason hopes alive, however, a battle-tested Syracuse team will need to perform well this weekend on the road against West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
This season, Syracuse has seen just about everything that a road game has to offer. In only its second game of the season SU faced Washington State, a team on the brink of the Top 25, in Colorado Springs as part of the Colorado College Invitational.
Midway through its nonconference schedule the Orange traveled to Colgate, where it defeated the Raiders 1-0 despite battling a driving rainstorm.
The Orange's conference schedule has also included a couple of difficult games, including road games against current No. 22 St. John's and No. 24 Connecticut.
Considering the magnitude of this weekend, however, Syracuse's assistant coach Robyn Pepicelli is focused and calm.
"You're always looking to win," Pepicelli said. "Our mindset with going into the Big East is we have to take care of our self. The Big East conference is competitive and we have to make sure we're on top of our game, because on any given day anyone can beat anybody.
You'd never be able to tell they were two days away from a pair of games that could determine the outcome of their season.
And in typical 2009 SU women's soccer fashion, these two contests are on the road in front of difficult crowds.
"West Virginia is a pretty hostile environment to play in," midfielder Hayley George said. "I guess it's going to be a double header so it's going to be tough, but I think it's going to call for a lot of us to be focused mentally. We can't come out just not mentally focused; we have to be ready for it because it's going to be pretty tough."
After starting their season with nine consecutive road games, and 10 of 13 overall, George and the Orange gained plenty of experience playing games away from home. To keep its postseason hopes alive, however, a battle-tested Syracuse team will need to perform well this weekend on the road against West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
This season, Syracuse has seen just about everything that a road game has to offer. In only its second game of the season SU faced Washington State, a team on the brink of the Top 25, in Colorado Springs as part of the Colorado College Invitational.
Midway through its nonconference schedule the Orange traveled to Colgate, where it defeated the Raiders 1-0 despite battling a driving rainstorm.
The Orange's conference schedule has also included a couple of difficult games, including road games against current No. 22 St. John's and No. 24 Connecticut.
Considering the magnitude of this weekend, however, Syracuse's assistant coach Robyn Pepicelli is focused and calm.
"You're always looking to win," Pepicelli said. "Our mindset with going into the Big East is we have to take care of our self. The Big East conference is competitive and we have to make sure we're on top of our game, because on any given day anyone can beat anybody.
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