Sophomore goalkeeper Jess Jecko played in elimination games at Sauquoit Valley (N.Y.) High School, but now she’s under more pressure than ever prior to her first postseason start in the collegiate ranks.

“In high school, we weren’t the strongest team in the league,” Jecko said. “Then my senior year we made it to sectionals and ended up losing 2-1.

“But this team is different than my high school team.”

No. 2 Syracuse (15-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) enters the ACC tournament after one of the best seasons in program history. The transition to a new conference posed little trouble, as SU beat four ranked ACC opponents and came within 49 seconds of handing No. 1 Maryland its first loss.

Jecko was in net each time, making key saves to bail out the Syracuse defense. But when she faced then-No. 17 Boston College (12-6, 1-5) on Sept. 20, she failed to stop any shots in a 6-3 defeat. That’s why she considers SU’s first-round rematch with the Eagles in Newton, Mass., her biggest game of the season. The Orange plays Boston College at 1 p.m. Thursday.

There’s pressure to not only win, but also dominate between the pipes.

“I’m really excited to play them again,” she said. “Six goals, no saves. I mean that’s definitely tough, but you’ve got to put that it in the past.”

The Orange had actually jumped out to a quick 2-1 lead in the early stages of the game. However, Boston College took control before the half with four goals in a span of five minutes. In the middle of the shelling was Jecko, who would later be pulled from the game with seven minutes remaining.

Granted, the Syracuse position players are the first to admit they didn’t help their goalie and deserved much of the blame for the loss.

“We all made a lot of changes since that game,” forward Lauren Brooks said. “It’s actually a good thing that it happened because we were able to grow a lot from that.”

Still, many goalies might have crumbled after such a rough outing. Jecko did the opposite. She responded with a shutout of then-No. 6 Princeton two days later and allowed only one goal in each of the next three games.

Senior back Anna Crumb said Jecko’s confidence never wavered after the loss. In fact, her ability to be a vocal leader has made the Orange defense a better unit.

“She’s a great communicator and doesn’t get frantic at all,” Crumb said. “It keeps us as backs calm, and we feed off her energy.”

Any doubts about her composure were erased Saturday in SU’s 1-0 victory over North Carolina. The Tar Heels had averaged more than four goals per game, but Jecko made three momentous saves during the first half and denied them the entire 70 minutes.

Head coach Ange Bradley said a performance like that is proof that Jecko is ready for the big stage after watching her mentor — former SU goalie Leann Stiver — man the pipes for the Orange during the 2012 postseason.

“I see her in a really good place,” Bradley said. “She just shut out the leading offense in the country. She’s fine.”

That may be the case, but Jecko is still looking for final confirmation. A strong performance against the Eagles will be the boost she needs to overcome the high stakes of tournament play.

“I’m excited and nervous,” Jecko said. “It makes the game mean more. It makes every shot count more, so it’s about staying focused the entire time and making sure you make that save.”

Published on November 7, 2013 at 12:50 am

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