Louisville Narrowly Defeats Syracuse Field Hockey in OT

by Ben Spector

CitrusTV Field Hockey Beat Reporter

It was an Easter Sunday matinee matchup between No. 8 Syracuse (8-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) and No. 5 Louisville (12-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) and it certainly did not disappoint. A strong defensive effort from both sides eventually led to an overtime thriller. The Cardinals scored in the extra period and came out victorious, 1-0.

Louisville started the game off slow. The Cardinals had zero shots in the first quarter, as well as zero corner opportunities. They barely had the ball in the offensive zone. For Syracuse, it was a similar story. SU spent most of the time in the offensive third, but the Orange had zero shots and only one corner opportunity. 

Both teams started to pick up the pace in the second quarter, but the defense from both sides continued to stand tall. The Cardinals generated two shots, and Syracuse got another two corner opportunities. Similar to the first quarter though, nothing to show for it, and the halftime scoreboard showed 0-0.

The defensive effort remained the same in the third quarter, but early in the fourth, Louisville almost capitalized on its best opportunity of the game. SU goalie Emily Streib came out and tripped up a Cardinals forward early in the fourth. That led to a green card, which meant that she had to sit out for two minutes. Louisville had a penalty corner, and Syracuse had no goalie. On the corner, forward Katie Schneider capitalized and made it 1-0 in favor of the Cardinals. However, the referees overturned the goal because they deemed it a dangerous shot. That score would have been Schneider’s second of the spring, but instead, the game remained scoreless. The Orange survived Streib’s two-minute absence as well. Eventually, time ran out in regulation and the Orange and the Cardinals were headed for overtime.

Louisville’s leading scorer Mercedes Pastor was locked up all game. However, the best players show up for the big moments. With just over four minutes left in the sudden death overtime, Pastor scores from the left side of the goal to give Louisville the 1-0 victory. Syracuse suffers its first loss of the spring season.

SU has a short week. The Orange take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill on Saturday at 1 p.m.

bespecto@syr.edu | @bespector