Syracuse played 45 games at J.S. Coyne Stadium between Sept. 6, 2009 and Nov. 16, 2013 without a loss.

The streak came to an abrupt end when No. 20-seeded Michigan State sent SU home in the first round of the 2013 NCAA tournament — at home.

“Well for me, the loss is very fresh. Fresh every day,” SU head coach Ange Bradley said.

For the first time since the loss, Syracuse (4-0) is returning to play a competitive game at its home stadium. Looking to start a new winning streak at home, SU is off to a good start as they prepare to face unbeaten Albany (3-0) on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Ball State (2-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. But Bradley still remembers.

For the third consecutive year, the Orange started its season off on a four-game winning streak. It’s the product of an intense and somewhat reflective preseason regimen.

Bradley was deflated when recalling her memories of the loss to the Spartans, but quickly deferred to where her players were mentally with a new season underway.

“They still feel it, but have moved on to new opportunities,” Bradley said. “They know they have to stay present, focused and stick to their plan.

“If you get caught up in the past, you’re not going to be good at anything you do.”

Bradley maintained that she’s not still soaking in the season-ending loss, but more than anything, learned what her team needed to improve on heading into this season.

Syracuse prides itself on a quick style of play on the artificial surface at Coyne Stadium.

“We like to play fast,” Bradley said. “Michigan State took that away from us last year.”

The head coach also lamented on the fact that her team outshot Michigan State 21-4 in the 2-1 loss. The result of that was an emphasis in preseason on finishing.

“We’ve practiced quite a bit this offseason how to change tempo in a game to deal with people who drop back on us,” she said.

So far this season, SU has outscored its opponents 21-4.

After having four seniors graduate last year, Bradley has brought in an incoming freshman class of 10 that she said is the biggest she’s ever handled at Syracuse. With such a sizable change of personnel, Bradley has a young group of players she can keep focused on the team’s future.

She’s relying on her veteran players to relay an important, otherwise costly, message.

“If you want to be a good player, you have to stay present,” said Bradley. “You can’t change what’s already happened.”

Published on September 4, 2014 at 12:13 am

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