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Just 30 seconds into Syracuse’s match against UConn, Willemijn Boogert drove into the arc, setting herself up for a prime scoring chance. After she fired a shot at goaltender Natalie McKenna, Hattie Madden managed to bounce it in, giving the Orange an early lead in their penultimate regular season game.

While the chance appeared to be a strong start for SU, Madden’s goal was denied after UConn called for a video referral. It set the tone for a highly competitive matchup between the two teams.

No. 12 Syracuse (12-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated No. 8 UConn (14-3, 5-1 Big East) 3-1 on Sunday, marking Syracuse’s fifth ranked victory of the season and its first win over a top-10 opponent this year. The Orange had eight shots on goal throughout the match, their most against a top-10 opponent this season.

Throughout the first quarter, Syracuse dominated possession, creating several big chances and disrupting UConn’s offensive momentum. SU outshot the Huskies 3-0 in the opening period but couldn’t convert early on.

With eight minutes left in the first quarter, Annabelle Vossenaar drove into the arc, creating a perfect opportunity to put away her first goal of the year. She fired a shot on target at McKenna, but the goalie dispatched the shot, her first of five saves on the day.

The momentum flipped in the second quarter, with UConn earning two penalty corners and outshooting Syracuse 2-0. However, neither side earned a shot on target in the period and the Huskies went into the half failing to register a shot against Louise Pert.

For a majority of the third quarter, it was a similar story to the first for the Orange. Just two minutes into the period, Syracuse earned its first penalty corner of the match, and Boogert lined up for the insertion.

Her pass found Bo van Kempen at the top of the arc, who used her drag flick move to fire a shot at the goal. It was saved, but the rebound found Aiden Drabick, who nearly scored before McKenna deflected her shot away from the net.

SU continued to apply pressure after the flurry of chances, as Lottie Summers found herself in front of the net with seven minutes left in the third. After dispossessing the Huskies in front of their arc, Summers drove in and fired a shot, forcing McKenna to make her third save of the period. Syracuse had controlled the action throughout the period, but it wasn’t able to strike first in the match.

Despite the consistent pressure UConn’s backline faced, the Huskies earned two consecutive penalty corners with four minutes remaining in the third. After the first corner failed to produce a goal, Isabel Soeters inserted the second into Sophie Perschk. Perschk fired a shot toward Pert, and Milaw Clause deflected the shot past the Orange to give UConn a 1-0 lead.

Needing an equalizer, the Orange got off to a quick start in the fourth quarter, driving into UConn’s arc less than two minutes into the period. A long pass from Boogert found Lieke Leeggangers, who moved into the arc and fired a shot at McKenna with a defender in her face. The Huskies’ goalie kicked the ball, but it deflected into the net off her pads, tying the game and giving Leeggangers her third goal of the year.

Then the Orange needed a game-winner to seal the match. After earning two consecutive penalty corners with eight minutes remaining in regulation, the Orange won a penalty stroke, giving van Kempen a chance to add another game-winning goal to her tally. The defender walked to the spot and calmly pushed the shot past McKenna, scoring her 15th goal of the year and giving SU its first lead of the match.

With three minutes left in regulation, the Huskies pulled McKenna from the game, opting to use an extra attacker in a last-ditch effort to find an equalizer.

The maneuver didn’t end up working, as Bo Madden drove into the arc and found Drabick, who iced the game with her second goal of the season. With less than two minutes remaining, the Huskies reinserted McKenna and SU held strong to earn the victory.

Published on October 27, 2024 at 3:24 pm

mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarSU