The official stepped up to the center circle for the opening faceoff. Syracuse’s Kailah Kempney and Marquette’s Katie Bathon were in position, prepared for the ball to be placed between their sticks.

But with the chemistry that exists between Kempney and her teammates surrounding the circle, the official might as well have put the ball right in the pocket of Kempney’s stick.

“Especially since last year, we got more comfortable with people around the circle and we just read each other well,” Kempney said. “We know if one girl is positioned somewhere, we should put the ball (in) a different place. We just really know what each other’s thinking.”

Kempney and the Orange (12-3, 6-0 Big East) dominated the faceoff circle in No. 5 Syracuse’s 18-6 rout of the Golden Eagles (2-14) on Senior Day in the Carrier Dome on Sunday. Sophomore Kempney notched all six of her draw controls in the first half and four in the opening nine minutes to allow SU ample opportunities to pile on goals early.

As the Orange cruised to a sizable lead, other SU midfielders replaced Kempney at the circle and maintained her success. Kirkland Locey recorded five draw controls. Syracuse finished the game with a 19-7 advantage in faceoffs.

“Kailah, Kirk, Tori (Praino) all crushed it at the point and then everybody who came onto the circle stepped up for sure,” said midfielder Bridget Daley.

From the first whistle, Kempney had a beat on Bathon. Kempney secured the first possession of the game, leading to a Daley goal to put the Orange ahead.

Kempney proceeded to grab three of the next four draw controls. Two of those possessions immediately led to scores, as Syracuse quickly took advantage of Marquette’s defensive breakdowns.

When Kempney wasn’t seizing possessions, her teammates were in the right spots. Mallory Vehar and Brenna Rainone each picked up a draw control that Kempney lined up for, and both of those possessions paid off directly in goals.

By the 16:22 mark, Syracuse had built a double-digit lead and the Golden Eagles had yet to even fire a shot.

“It’s always nice when you have the ball,” said SU head coach Gary Gait. “When you have those extra possessions, it just gives you scoring opportunities. Kailah did a great job.”

After a goal by Kenzie Brown — MU’s first attempted shot of the game — put Marquette on the board with 12:47 left, Syracuse didn’t lose a faceoff for the rest of the half. Kempney and Locey each logged two more draw controls.

With Syracuse ahead 11-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half, Kempney secured the faceoff. On the same possession, Ella Thorpe drew a foul inside the arc for a free-position opportunity, which she dished off to Kempney for an easy score.

By the break, SU’s lead ballooned to 13-1 behind a 12-3 draw-control advantage.

“Over the games so far this season, we’ve just done really well at communicating, even without the signal,” Kempney said. “We just know where each other is going to be.”

Faceoffs have been one of the Orange’s many strengths this season, as SU has only lost the faceoff battle in three of its 15 games so far this season. The Orange is first in the Big East with more than 15 draw controls per game.

With difficult conference matchups at Loyola (Md.) and Georgetown — two of the Big East’s top four teams — next weekend, Gait hopes the faceoff battle is one the Orange continues to dominate.

“That’s the focus we need,” Gait said, “and as we start to get ready, we got two tough games, we’ll continue to look for those great draw controls and those great starts.”

Published on April 21, 2013 at 11:57 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb