A Big Time Opportunity for Syracuse Women’s Soccer Tonight
There’s just two games remaining for Syracuse women’s soccer. Although ACC tournament hopes and NCAA tournament hopes are out the door, there are still things to look forward to. That’s because tonight is the best opportunity left to get that first ACC win…which has not happened since 2022. The challenge? To beat Miami at SU Soccer Stadium in the final home game of the season.
Now I know you might be thinking that Miami must be a pretty solid team. From Florida and it’s a fun place, they must recruit good players. Well, you’d actually be wrong because the Hurricanes are one of the 3 teams in the ACC that have yet to notch a win in league play. Syracuse is one of the teams and NC State, who the Orange tied last week is the other. Except just because Miami hasn’t won a game in league play doesn’t mean they are a pushover opponent. The Hurricanes have some very impressive results this season including ties against Pittsburgh, SMU, and Virginia Tech… all teams SU lost to. So, the Cuse is gonna have to bring its A game still and it will start tonight with getting on the scoresheet.
Scoring goals in league play has been a challenge and a huge reason Syracuse has failed to get results in ACC matchups. Over the course of 8 conference games the Orange have just 3 goals, which is the lowest in the ACC. However, last time out against NC State the team scored just 4 minutes into the game. That came at the hands of an Erin Flurey top bins penalty kick, which was her team-leading 4th goal of the season. If SU wants to win tonight they need to find Flurey as much as possible because she brings a spark to the team, unlike any other player on the squad. Flurey will be one of the fastest and most skilled players on the pitch tonight against a Miami team that lacks the quality other squads in the ACC have.
There is one player on Miami though that the Syracuse defense has to be ready for. That is Giovani Canali. Canali leads the Hurricanes with 8 goals this season and also has a whopping 54 shots, which is double the amount of any other player on the team. For Kylen Grant and Anna Croyle, it’s going to be a big challenge to hold Canali to just a couple of shots, but it is a must because she will score if given a sliver of space. 8 goals is the 6th most in the entire ACC, which isn’t anything crazy, but recall that the ACC is the best conference in all of women’s soccer, meaning that it boasts some of the best talent in the nation and beyond. Syracuse has faced players like this and struggled so a bounce back is needed tonight from the Orange D.
So there you have it, one last battle from SU Soccer Stadium this season. One last opportunity to get a home league win, you won’t wanna miss it. Catch the game at 7.