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With the game knotted at 0-0 in the 48th minute, Syracuse worked the ball up the right side of the field. Defender Kylen Grant played the ball to Iba Oching, who moved it up to Julia Dening. The SU forward picked up her head and took on the Siena backline.

Dening cut the ball onto her left foot, then shifted it back to her right before passing to Ashley Rauch. The junior unleashed a cross that deflected off Siena defender Kam Vanderbosch, trickling the ball toward the net. Saints goalkeeper Cate Burns could not react in time as the ball found the back of the net.

SU doubled its lead in the 84th minute as Erin Flurey looped a long-range effort into the net. The two goals pushed Syracuse (2-0-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) past Siena (1-2-0, 0-0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) 2-0 Thursday evening, helping the Orange remain unbeaten through the first three games of the 2024 season. The victory follows a 2-0 season-opening win over UMass on Aug. 15 and a 1-1 tie against Maine on Aug. 18, giving SU its best start to a season since 2017.

Before the game, Syracuse goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch was ruled out with an injury, denying her a third chance to share the pitch with her twin sister and Siena defender Kam. In Shea’s place, Florida Atlantic transfer Blythe Braun filled in between the posts. Early in the game, Braun held onto the ball for too long at her feet. She was stripped but recovered to poke the ball free of danger and pick it up.

On a set-piece routine, the Saints nearly opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Lindsey Harrington received a pass on the ground off a corner with a clear look on goal. Harrington had a try, but it was deflected over the bar.

The Saints grew into the game as the first half wore on. In the 32nd minute, Siena’s Megan Stowell won the ball back in SU’s defensive third, worked an opening and then cranked a long-range effort that forced a tip save from Braun. Siena’s chances continued minutes later when Catherine Rogers sent her shot high after cutting in from the left.

Syracuse closed out the opening half with a near miss as Flurey uncorked from outside the 18-yard box. Her shot was off target, but she was fouled in the process. Rauch could not capitalize on the ensuing free kick, sending it over the bar.

Less than three minutes into the second half, SU had its breakthrough. After some smooth link-up play on the right, Rauch’s cross hit Kam and found the goal.

SU nearly doubled its advantage in the 57th minute. Flurey ripped a free kick that struck the crossbar. Liesel Odden followed up but couldn’t get enough on her close-range header that Burns caught. Flurey again prodded at the Saints’ net as she juked two defenders, but slotted her shot wide of the mark in the 61st minute.

Meanwhile, Braun was tested again, though she maintained SU’s narrow lead. In the 73rd minute, Micaiah Croce tried her luck from far out, but the SU goalkeeper produced an easy catch save. Less than a minute later, Annie Bagnall sent in a cross that Braun gathered again.

As the match headed for the final buzzer, Siena’s Briana Neary had ample time to work from the left. She navigated her way toward the goal, passing two Syracuse defenders, but her attempt was off-frame.

Less than two minutes later, the Orange added an insurance goal. On Flurey’s third major chance of the match, she finally found the back of the net. The junior played a quick combination with Anna Rupert, receiving the ball on the left outside of the box.

Flurey, the team’s leading scorer from last season with six goals, then uncorked with her left foot, sailing a ball over the head and out of reach of Burns to double Syracuse’s lead. SU held on through the final six minutes to clinch its second shutout of the year and second win in three games, matching the team’s total in both categories from last season.

Published on August 22, 2024 at 9:52 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal