The Syracuse women’s soccer team is used to playing in double-overtime games.

Before Friday, Syracuse has played four games this season that went into overtime. They defeated Binghamton in double overtime and tied its other three extra-session affairs.

On Friday, the Orange (7-7-4, 3-5-2) earned a second double-overtime victory, getting a 2-1 win over Providence (3-13-1, 2-8) Friday at SU Soccer Stadium.

The Senior Night theme was appropriate in the second overtime period, when senior Lauren Jentzen headed the ball into the goal in the 108th minute. The goal was Jentzen’s first of the season.

‘I always think it’s special when the seniors do anything great in their last games,’ head coach Pat Farmer said. ‘If it’s someone who is your higher scorer, that’s one thing, but when it’s someone who doesn’t score a lot of goals and has worked so hard for four years, I think it’s something even more special.’

The seniors were not the only ones contributing to the win. SU junior defender Karrah Benson scored a penalty kick in the 69th minute. Orange freshmen Megan Bellingham and Dana Bergstrom, who had three shots, saw more playing time than usual. But it was the energy of the SU upperclassmen that paced the team.

‘The seniors played so good today,’ Bergstrom said. ‘They came out excited to play.’

‘They know they had to come out here and win today if we had any chance of making the Big East Tournament for one last time.’

Farmer’s one regret is not getting senior goalkeeper Candice Hofmann in the game. All six seniors were honored at halftime, but only Hofmann didn’t see play time during the game.

‘I’ve been doing this for 30 some odd years, and today was the most emotional I’ve ever gotten after a game,’ Farmer said. ‘I didn’t get Candice Hofmann in the game. Because of the goalkeeping situation and the close nature of this game, I couldn’t get her in. I wrote it in big orange marker across my clipboard, ‘Get Candice in the game,’ but I just couldn’t.’

Farmer changed the formation on the field in the second overtime in order to assure more shots on goals. He told the team they would change to a ‘more aggressive’ 3-4-3, taking out a defender and adding an attacking midfielder. The trick worked, giving the Orange the goal they needed in a sudden-death period.

Farmer talked about how he was ‘impressed with the team’s attitude’ while they were losing, and how they were determined not to walk away with a draw. The urgency to win the game in order to remain in the running for the Big East Tournament seemed to propel the win. This was also the third time this season Syracuse was able to erase a 1-0 deficit and come back for the win.

‘We were really determined and focused, and we just knew how much more this game meant opposed to some of the other overtime games we’ve played in the past,’ Jentzen said. ‘It’s sad that this is one of my last games, especially during the halftime ceremonies it gets kind of emotional, but we just had to stay focused on the game and get the win.’

Published on October 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm