S
Lies to me SU field hockey’s Lies Lagerweij, a versatile back who leads the No. 1 ranked Orange with seven goals, tallied one assist this season. See page 12
@Coach_Hopkins Happy birthday @cjfair! Great career including the 2013 Final Four. He’ll do well in France this season! #CuseFamily
S PORTS
Hotline bling Dino Babers will be on the ACC teleconference on Wednesday. There will be updates on what Babers says ahead of USF. See Thursday’s paper
dailyorange.com @dailyorange sept. 14, 2016 • PAG E 16
END GOAL Skilton hopes to lead SU to 1st NCAA tournament since 2001
Text by Byron Tollefson asst. web editor
Photos by Liam Kennedy contributing photographer
I
t was 7 a.m. and 4-year-old Stephanie Skilton was fast asleep. But downstairs in her Auckland, New Zealand home, Adrienne Skilton, Stephanie’s mom, had been up for hours. Her oldest daughter, Erica, was getting ready to play a match for her local club team, Clendon United. It was a typical morning at the Skilton household. Another day, another game. All of a sudden, a thought stopped Adrienne in her tracks as she was getting ready. Stephanie’s never seen a soccer game,
she realized. Soon after, Stephanie was in the back of the car heading to the Clendon United Football Grounds. Saturday soccer was a ritual for the Skilton family, yet she had no clue what all the fuss was about. As the game began, Stephanie gazed across the field. She was taken aback. The game captivated her. The crisp passes and powerful volleys. The huge roars from the crowd around her. Love at first sight. The little girl wanted to get on the field; she felt like she belonged there. She wanted to put on a pair of cleats and kick the ball too. Stephanie couldn’t get enough. Soon after, she begged her mom to let her attend her sister’s practices. She craved see skilton page 12
STEPHANIE SKILTON has led SU in goals each of the past three seasons. She grew up in Auckland, New Zealand and was the first person in her family to come to the U.S.
football
Inside Winston Lee’s decision to walk on to Syracuse football By Jon Mettus asst. sports editor
Reno Ferri rattled off questions to a group of Syracuse players working with children in a gym at Fort Drum during preseason training camp. “Who’s the heaviest guy here?”
he asked. “Who’s the lightest? Who’s the slowest?” Several players called out and debated after each question. “Who’s the fastest?” Standing to the far left of the group of quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and linemen,
one newly acquired, 5-foot-10, 193pound running back raised his hand. “Oh yeah, Winston. I forgot,” another one of the players said. “You run track.” Winston Lee joined the SU (1-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) football team as a walk-on this summer after running
track at Syracuse in the spring of 2016 — his first semester at SU since transferring from SUNY Cobleskill. The 60- and 100-meter dash runner has since moved over to defensive back and views himself as a role player, primarily on special teams. Lee recorded his first career tack-
le on a kickoff in the season opener against Colgate. But with two more injuries to the secondary during Friday’s game against Louisville, his chances of playing time have risen. “He’s got a lot of ability,” SU head coach Dino Babers said a few days
see lee page 15