Syracuse skirts by Wake Forest
Sometimes, all you need is one. And today, in fifteenth-ranked Syracuse’s 1-0 win over Wake Forest that sentiment could not be more true. Coming into the contest, the Orange hadn’t won an ACC game all season. On top of that, SU was hoping to rebound in conference play after falling to North Carolina 4-0 a week ago. Syracuse fell in heartbreaking fashion 2-1 on penalty strokes to Wake Forest at Coyne last year. In what was SU’s third game of its four-game road trip, the Orange got it done down in Winston-Salem. Here’s how it happened.
The first quarter was as quiet as possible, with both sides not registering a shot.
However, in the second quarter, WAKE would get going. The Demon Deacons earned the first attacking penalty corner of the game around 24 minutes into the contest. Despite having that APC, WAKE failed to convert. A few minutes later, Syracuse would get a few of its own APC’s, with the Orange failing to convert on three straight chances. One of the chances went wide, one was saved, and the other blocked by a demon deacon defender. While both teams had their respective chances, nobody would score leading to a 0-0 score at the half.
Syracuse would come out firing in the third quarter, having two APC’s and four shots on goal in the third quarter. It felt like it was only a matter of time before SU got on the board with the plethora of chances it had coming out of the break.
Failing to score in the third, Syracuse would keep pushing in the fourth registering three shots and two APC’s in the first five minutes of the quarter. Then, finally in the 53rd minute of play, Syracuse would break the deadlock thanks to defender Bo van Kempen. SU’s Lieke Leeggangers would insert a corner for Hattie Madden who’s shot was blocked by WAKE goalie Ellie Todd. But, luckily for Syracuse the rebound fell right to van Kempen who rocketed her shot home to make it 1-0. The goal was the sixth of the season for van Kempen, a team-leading mark.
Wake Forest wouldn’t go down without a fight though. With three minutes left, the Demon Deacons pulled their goaltender. In that time, Syracuse goalie Louise Pert stepped up big, stopping a shot from WAKE’s Mia Montag. SU wasn’t out of the woods yet though. With 90 seconds to play, Madden was shown a yellow card putting the Orange down a player for the rest of the contest. Wake Forest had two APC’s in that span. The first chance was blocked by Bo Madden, and the second one was mishandled by the Wake Forest defense giving Syracuse the win.
The victory puts SU at 6-2 overall, and 1-1 in ACC play. The Orange finish their four-game road trip tomorrow against ninth-ranked Duke. Game time is set for noon.
