Starting 20 yards from goal, Bianca Chevarie feinted left before dodging right, breezing past Colgate’s man-to-man pressure. Striding into the 8-meter arc, this time she elected to veer left, absorbing a stick check from one Raider defender and sidestepping another before a shot meshed into the cage’s top left corner.

“(Chevarie) has really fast feet, really quick steps, really good stick skills,” senior midfielder Mary Rahal said. “I mean, she’s pretty hard to defend.”

After Morgan Alexander’s season-ending leg injury during a Feb. 19 practice, it was unclear who would replace the redshirt senior in No. 4 Syracuse’s (7-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) attack. But Chevarie has started the four games since in Alexander’s left attack position, helping the Orange defeat three top-20 ranked opponents amid their six-game winning streak. The freshman’s scored four goals and dished four assists since joining the starting lineup on Feb. 22 against Northwestern.

Chevarie, whose listed and preferred position is midfield, had split reps in practice — and in the Orange’s first four games — with the second midfield line and as Alexander’s backup on attack. Even before starting, she was the only freshman receiving consistent minutes off the bench. The Ontario native said her transition to SU was aided by competing in U-19 World Championships last fall, where Chevarie earned a silver medal after Canada was defeated by Megan Carney and the USA in the final.

With four goals and four assists so far this season, Chevarie isn’t scoring at the same rate as Emily Hawryschuk (second in the nation with 4.88 goals per game) or even secondary scorers Meaghan Tyrrell and Carney. But Chevarie said she knows she doesn’t need to.

“Probably the biggest thing has been that she’s been working hard and hustling every day,” SU head coach Gary Gait said of the decision to start Chevarie. “We just looked at the energy she brings.”

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For Chevarie, the defensive side of the game is part of why she loves playing midfield, and she admits at times she “hates being stuck behind a line” on attack. But since transitioning into her left-sided attack role, Chevarie, the Orange’s only freshman starter, has focused more on learning the attacking nuances of Syracuse’s system, often soliciting advice from Alexander.

In Chevarie’s first start against Northwestern, Alexander noticed early on that Chevarie was stationed too far back when the Orange were on the offensive. Chevarie said that initially she struggled with her positioning and timing her cuts at different times than her teammates.

“I told (Chevarie), ‘Right there, you’re hanging too far out. You’ve gotta step in, have that killer instinct, that attack mindset,’” Alexander said.

Chevarie took Alexander’s advice into her next start against Colgate, focusing on being more aggressive. Gait called her effort on the ride against Colgate “relentless.” Not only did her new approach lead to her aforementioned twisting solo goal, but Chevarie also recorded a season-best three points against the Raiders.

For Syracuse’s third goal, Chevarie received a handoff from Sierra Cockerille at the edge of the 12-meter arc. Chevarie didn’t hesitate, immediately making a diagonal run toward the cage, stretching to get her shot off beyond a Raider defender’s outstretched stick before finding twine.

“I think all of us were just running smoothly,” Chevarie said.

But it wasn’t just Chevarie’s goals that stood out; Chevarie said her overall comfort in the offense has grown with each passing game. As Rahal led a counterattack against the Raiders, her pass found Chevarie, who moved the ball on instantly to a wide-open Tyrrell along the crease before another quickfire pass found Carney for an easy goal. Later on from a free position, Chevarie’s shot appeared wide, but Carney emerged from behind the cage for another simple score.

In the following game against Maryland, Chevarie was quiet with no points, but the entire Orange offense had a down day, scoring well below their season average with just 10 goals in the victory. Last Sunday against Virginia Tech, Chevarie’s aggression was back, peppering the Hokies’ goal with a season-high five shots as she went on to score one and set another goal up.

Now that Chevarie has acclimated to attack and become more aggressive, Gait said she just needs to work on her decision-making. But he has little doubt about whether Chevarie will continue to improve.

“She wants to be good and she’s been willing to work at it,” Gait said, “she stays focused and really puts the effort in. We gave her the opportunity and we’re happy with it so far.”

Published on March 11, 2020 at 10:24 pm

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