Syracuse Field Hockey Dominates from the Midfield Forward in Win over Bucknell
By Patrick Gunn
Field Hockey Beat Reporter
LEWISBURG, Pa. – For the third straight game, Syracuse Field Hockey dominated the stat sheet, outshooting their opponent by a wide margin. This time, Syracuse did not let their opponent push them to the edge of defeat.
A two-goal third quarter was all the separation Syracuse needed behind a fantastic defensive effort, as no. 23 Syracuse (5-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) stifled Bucknell (2-3, 0-0 Patriot League) 3-1. The Orange outshot the Bisons 23 to six and has outshot their last three opponents 53 to 20. Syracuse seems to be playing in stride heading into the start of ACC play on Friday.
Since the return of Claire Webb on Friday, the Orange have looked like a new team on defense. Not that they controlled the ball poorly in their first four games, but Syracuse has completely halted their opponents from midfield with Webb leading the charge.
They have played with much more aggression and communication which has led to increased scoring opportunities. Goalkeeper Sarah Sinck only had to face one shot on goal the entire game, and she can thank her stifling defense for that.
Moreover, the Orange took advantage of their opportunities today. It seemed as if every couple minutes, the Orange had an open shot right around the net. Credit Bucknell goalkeeper Olivia Harris for her exceptional effort, as she made nine saves, including two in the fourth quarter to keep the Bison’s in the game. Harris also convinced a referee to overturn a Syracuse penalty corner chance late in the final frame. However, the Orange’s onslaught of opportunities and shots was too much for Bucknell to withstand.
Despite having great chances, the Orange almost went into the half trailing Bucknell. The Bisons took advantage of an early penalty corner chance, as Brittany Wellwerth tipped a deflection off goalkeeper Sarah Sinck.
However, with eight seconds to go in the frame, Carolin Hoffmann drilled a penalty corner shot into the net to give Syracuse some momentum heading into the break.
Less than three minutes into the second half, Charlotte de Vries finally got involved. She did what she does best, pounding a deflection off goalkeeper Olivia Harris to give Syracuse the lead for good. That’s the freshman’s ACC-leading seventh goal of the season in her first six career games.
Chiara Gutsche put the icing on the cake with just under five minutes to go in the game. Claire Cooke hit a hard bouncer that Gutche deflected over Bison goalkeeper Olivia Harris to extend the Orange’s lead to 3-1. Remarkably, this was Syracuse’s first multi-goal lead of the season.
Syracuse returns home Friday for their biggest test of the year. The Orange open ACC play with no. 6 Virginia at 4:30.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said that Claire Cooke scored the third goal of this game.
pagunn@syr.edu | patgunner_
