What a difference a year makes.

After playing in only six games last year, Syracuse field hockey sophomore Lindsay Peirson has collected four goals this season.

Peirson’s latest came with less than a minute left on Friday, as Syracuse defeated Providence, 2-1.

‘There was no way we were going to lose,’ Peirson said. ‘(Brittany Carriero) reversed it, and I knew I had shot from (my strong side). I didn’t want it to go into overtime.’

She’s been clutch this season. Peirson’s eight points, ranking third on SU, have come on four goals, including three game-winners.

That wasn’t the case last year, when Peirson only took one shot.

‘I was tentative with a lot of things,’ Peirson said. ‘Last year was disappointing for me. I didn’t have a lot of confidence coming in as a freshman.’

Lost, frustrated and baffled after the 2001 season, Peirson found some answers in spring practice.

Under more relaxed conditions, she worked on specific skills with a small group of teammates. Toward the end of the spring, she rediscovered the confidence she’d had when she scored 31 goals her senior year at Granby (Conn.) Memorial High School.

The defining moment came in the spring when Syracuse headed to Princeton for a seven-on-seven tournament. Top-20 programs Old Dominion, Maryland and Princeton gave her the competition she needed to play better.

‘I know I did well against them,’ Peirson said. ‘Playing against that high level of competition really helped me this year.’

‘Some freshmen take a while to get adjusted,’ head coach Kathleen Parker said. ‘She needed to get used to the level of Division I hockey. She’s always been a good athlete. She still is.’

Peirson’s versatility allows her to play both forward and midfield. Parker moved Peirson to midfield earlier in the season and the change has paid off.

Midfielders, who must cover ground on both offense and defense, rarely rest. That allowed Peirson to be more involved in the game.

Peirson was named the conference’s offensive player of the week on Sept. 23, after scoring two dramatic goals the previous week. The second, the game-winner against Rutgers on Sept. 21, came six days after she had ripped a shot past Ohio State’s Lara Koole for a 1-0 overtime win.

‘The ball can be on her strong side or her left side,’ sophomore Ann-Marie Guglieri said. ‘She’ll still get a stick on it. She has a great touch on the goal.’

‘She plays with so much more heart and desire,’ captain Becky Kohler said. ‘She completely transformed her game.’

A bubble team for the postseason, the Orangewomen hope that Peirson’s transformation will help propel them back into the playoffs.

‘We still have a lot to do,’ Peirson said. ‘I know we had big expectations after the season we had last year, but it’s not over.’

Published on October 20, 2002 at 12:00 pm