As Syracuse finished practice Wednesday with a miniature inter-squad game to 10, it was clear that improving its offense is a priority in the final stretch for Syracuse.

After going 30 days without a win, the Orange has scored nine goals in its last five games and five in its last three.

“Now that we know that we can hang with these teams [in the Atlantic Coast Conference] defensively, our focus now is trying to put up good shots,” forward Erin Simon said. “To help our offense, we’ve been trying to work on pushing our outside backs forward and playing into the attack.”

The Orange (7-9-1, 3-7-1 ACC) is currently 12th in the ACC, with only the top eight teams making the tournament. However, Maryland (8-8, 4-6) and Boston College (8-7-1, 4-5-1) are two of the teams Syracuse looks to unseat this week.

SU hosts the Terrapins on Thursday at 7 p.m. and travels to face the Eagles on Sunday at 4 p.m.

“Every win that we’ve had has taken us a step closer to the postseason,” SU head coach Phil Wheddon said. “The only postseason we can hope for relies on the results of other teams, but we’ve got to take care of our business first.”

Much like the Orange, the Terrapins have played a schedule prominently against some of the best competition the country has to offer. While Maryland may have an additional win to its record in comparison to Syracuse, several similarities can be drawn between the two, starting with offense.

While Syracuse seems to have endured offensive struggles for a majority of the season, both SU and Maryland have averaged exactly one goal per game the entire season. Both squads have played tightly contested matches all year long, with both teams participating in six one-goal games against ACC foes.

Simon has been one of the strong points to SU’s offense that has struggled at times to put up shots. She scored one of the Orange’s three goals in its win over Miami (Fla.) on Oct. 13.

Simon’s teammates echoed the point about a gradual transition in focusing on defense to offense as the season has progressed.

Syracuse has boasted one of the top defenses in the ultra-competitive ACC, holding six of 11 ACC opponents to one goal.

Midfielder Jackie Firenze has been a part of both the offense and defense for the Orange. Firenze said that she has noticed the transition as well, and says there’s more to soccer than the physical aspect.

“The past few weeks we’ve addressed attacking more than at the beginning of the season,” said Firenze. “But I also think it’s mentality once we get into the scoring area.

“We just need a little better mentality when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net.”

Wheddon is sure that his team has done what’s necessary to create scoring chances in games, but the recent success will mean little if the Orange can’t continue to score against Maryland and Boston College.

“It’s composure in front of the goal and being relaxed under pressure,” Wheddon said. “We’ve created a ton of opportunities and we’re just not finishing.

“We’re gonna look back at the season and say, ‘We could’ve won this game’ and ‘Should’ve won that game’ based on the opportunities we’ve created.”

Published on October 24, 2013 at 12:28 am

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