Minutes before 9:30 on Tuesday morning, Jessica Vigna stood at the near left corner of the practice field at the Hookway Fields Complex as Syracuse’s practice wound down.

The team was working on corner kicks, and head coach Phil Wheddon had called for one last rep before he gathered his team at midfield.

Vigna lined up to take the kick and watched disapprovingly as the ball sailed high and wide over the goal out of bounds.

“One more!” she yelled as she scrambled to retrieve another ball from behind her. She lined up again, this time lofting the ball right in front of the goalmouth on a pass that connected perfectly with the outstretched foot of Stephanie Skilton.

Syracuse (2-4) has struggled to find success on its set pieces this season. The Orange, which amassed 11 corner kicks in Sunday’s loss against Buffalo and averages over seven per game thus far, have not been able to capitalize on such scoring opportunities. SU will look to refine its execution in Friday’s home game against Cornell (3-0-1) at SU Soccer Stadium at 3:30 p.m.

To increase the efficiency on corners — Tuesday’s drill brought a slight wrinkle — SU puts more emphasis on the offense and the runs inside the box.

“We went away from having defenders and just went with the basic timing,” assistant coach Kelly Lawrence said.

Wheddon said he has been pleased with the service into the box. Now, it’s a matter of perfecting the three or four different corner kick variations he said Syracuse uses and getting the ball into the net.

“The runs in the box are important, so if it bypasses the first person, you don’t want them to stop their run or stand and watch,” Wheddon said. “They’re still involved in the play so it’s really knowing your responsibilities and making sure you fulfill them.”

To recognize those responsibilities, Vigna pointed to the opposing defense as key.

If the opposition is playing tight, she said, it’s easier to juke around them and have teammates set picks to free people up. If the defense is playing back, it’s harder to move around but also easier to fight for a ball in the air.

“(It’s) really crucial with the runs and being able to beat your player, get to the ball, then get up and get power on the ball,” she said.

Lawrence acknowledged that SU isn’t the tallest team, a characteristic that could pose problems when muscling up for the ball in a packed area.

But if the serve is accurate, she said, height shouldn’t be an issue.

“The serves are on, they’re pretty much where we want them,” she said. “It’s just now, can we get a head on it?”

Yet for the kick itself, placement is only a fraction of the equation.

The ball should be drilled, not lofted. Head level, but not much higher. Close to the goal, but away from the goalie and not too low so that the ball is easily cleared away.

It’s a process Syracuse is still trying to master. Vigna said the team always closes practice with corner kicks and incorporates about 10-15 set pieces into the schedule each day.

Now, it’s a matter of putting it together to achieve what have been elusive in-game results.

“To be successful in the season, you’ve got to be on the positive side of set pieces,” Wheddon said, “… And the numbers that we’re getting just shows that we’ve been aggressive in attack, but we absolutely have to be more productive off of it.”

Published on September 9, 2015 at 9:17 pm

Contact Matt: mralex01@syr.edu