In the past, goalies were known to wear No. 1 jerseys. Borg van der Velde was no exception.

She wore No. 1 when SU beat seven different ranked teams during her freshman year, including then-No. 2 Duke. She wore No. 1 when the Orange shut out seven straight teams. She wore No. 1 when SU lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

This year, to honor two players who impacted Syracuse’s (4-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) program, she changed her number from the traditional goalie number to No. 21 to recognize the legacies of Lies Lagerweij and Emma Russell. Only two goalies in the ACC still wear No. 1.

“I really wanted to take on their legacy,” van der Velde said, “and I was super honored and proud that I was able to, that they would let me do that. So it’s because of them.”

Traditionally, the No. 1 jersey is saved for the goalie, van der Velde said. That’s why she wore that number originally. But when the opportunity arose for van der Velde to honor former players whose time with the program is still felt after a 2015 national championship, she couldn’t refuse.

Lagerweij wore No. 21 for only her last two seasons at SU. Russell never wore the number. But the number represents both of them. When Russell first came to SU, she wanted to wear No. 21, van der Velde said. But she couldn’t have that number because, van der Velde said, there were “issues” getting the number, although she didn’t remember what. Instead, the midfielder flipped her ideal number to wear No. 12, which she wore for four years.

Lagerweij joined SU during Russell’s junior year. She chose to wear No. 9 when she arrived at Syracuse. When Russell graduated, Lagerweij changed to No. 21. Not only was it the number Russell never got to wear, but it was the sum of both of Lagerweij’s and Russell’s former numbers. Both were represented.

Between the two players, they had a part in three of the four goals scored in 2015’s national championship game. Russell had a goal and an assist, and Lagerweij had an assist.

Russell graduated after the 2015 season as the program leader in points and goals, 140 and 57, respectively. Lagerweij scored 22 goals and 50 points, total, as a back and forward. SU head coach Ange Bradley once called Lagerweij one of the best players in the country.

“It’s a special number to wear,” senior Roos Weers said. “It doesn’t matter what number you wear, every number is special… every number has history.”

van der Velde is trying to live up to Russell and Lagerweij’s legacies. Now in her sophomore year, van der Velde has started every game. She’s averaging a little over one allowed goal a game and has 34 saves.

After losing to UConn, 3-0, on Sept. 9, van der Velde allowed the most goals she had all season. On a career day against Duke, her 11 saves weren’t enough, and the Orange fell to the Blue Devils, 1-0.

Bradley is unsure if van der Velde will live up to the legacy Lagerweij and Russell contributed to No. 21, but van der Velde will work toward it.

“I play for Lies and Emma,” van der Velde said. “Their legacies are in front of me, wearing those jerseys. I’m really proud wearing it.”

Published on September 19, 2018 at 12:14 am

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