Midfielders don’t get many chances to shoot.

Tasked with playing integral roles on both ends of the field, midfielders like Erica Bodt typically only take one shot a game, while the attack fires off as many as 10 and sometimes more.

So when Bodt gets a chance to put points on the board, the senior captain makes the most of her opportunity.

“It’s about being ready for those opportunities and being totally focused so that when you get (a chance to shoot), you’re ready, you look at the net, you take your time and you bury it,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said. “She’s been doing a great job with that this year.”

No. 4 Syracuse (12-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) needs Bodt to continue flourishing as the Orange face No. 20 Cornell (10-2, 4-1 Ivy) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Schoellkopf Field. Bodt ranks seventh on the team with 14 points and has scored five goals in SU’s last six games, elevating her play as the team prepares for its final three games before the ACC tournament.

The senior captain has held a role as a two-way midfielder since freshman year, but toward the tail end of last season, Bodt began to become more efficient offensively. In the 15 games she’s played in this season, Bodt has managed to shoot 24 times and convert 45.8 percent of those chances, up from 40.7 percent last season and 35.3 percent as a sophomore.

Bodt struggled with shot selection early in her SU career, Gait said. In her sophomore and junior season, she had a bad habit of dropping her stick down and throwing the ball high, soaring high over the top of the cage.

She believes the confidence comes from both extra work outside of practice and affirmation from Gait that she didn’t just have to play midfield with a defensive mind. Gait encouraged her to become more multi-dimensional.

“When you get the ball, you don’t want to score,” Bodt remembers Gait said while pointing out a flaw in her game.

She began devoting time to developing an offensive game. Bodt plays wall ball at least twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, emphasizing the use of both hands on her stick. She also began going with roommate Kayla Treanor and other teammates to take extra shots outside of regular practice time at least twice a week.

“I’m just trying to be more fluid with my right and left hand,” Bodt said. “It makes it a lot easier if you’re in games and you get a feed with your non-dominant hand up.”

Now as her final season nears its end, Gait sees Bodt making less mistakes early in games and building confidence accordingly. Even when she makes mistakes, she’s more likely to respond — a product of a four-year maturation.

“Just because it’s my last season, I’ve got to go out with a bang,” Bodt said. “… I want to lay it all out there.”

Published on April 18, 2016 at 9:37 pm

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu