Brittany Anghel sprinted toward midfield to join her Syracuse teammates, who were smiling and hugging after sealing a 3-0 win against Miami (Fla.) on Sunday.

 

For the battle-tested Orange, the celebration served as a positive reminder of the adversity the team has overcome since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.

 

“After losing so many games 1-0, and it happens over and over, you start to question if you can actually do it,” Anghel said. “To actually win this game, it says a lot about our character.”

 

The Orange (6-8-1, 2-6-1 Atlantic Coast) played a brilliant game, but lost 1-0 in overtime against No. 3 Florida State (12-0-3, 7-0-2) on Thursday. The momentum carried over to Sunday’s senior day game against Miami (8-5-0, 3-5-0). The Orange was dynamic on the attack, using good ball movement to capitalize on scoring chances in the second half and come away with the win.

 

“This game (Miami) gives us a solid foundation to work with,” Wheddon said, “after coming out on the wrong end against FSU.”

 

Wheddon said the Florida State game was SU’s best performance against a ranked opponent so far this season. But the Orange played one-dimensional at times, relying too much on individual effort rather than working as a team to finish its scoring chances.

 

Maya Pitts had a chance to give SU the lead in the closing moments against FSU when she dribbled toward the net off a pass from Alex Koval. Pitts didn’t look up to see an open Koval motioning for the give-and-go. Instead, she dribbled into tight pressure and an FSU defender cleared the ball.

 

Although SU didn’t come out on top in the overtime thriller, Wheddon said it was still encouraging to see his team match the intensity of a quality ACC opponent.

 

“Any time you take a ranked team like that to overtime, and you have scoring opportunities, it’s obviously a very positive sign,” Wheddon said. “It just sucks to come out on the wrong end of it again.”

 

Heading into Sunday’s game, Syracuse was determined to avoid another slim margin of defeat, having already lost seven games by the score of 1-0 this season. The defense has done its part in recent games, so the Orange looked to its forwards to increase their production.

 

 

After the Orange registered six shots in the first half without scoring a goal, Pitts finally got SU on the board in the 62nd minute when she ripped a shot past Miami goalkeeper Emily Lillard for her first goal of the season.

 

Less than two minutes later, the Orange used sound ball movement to increase its lead. Koval made a strategic run toward the box and received a give-and-go pass while trying to break free from her defender. She was tripped from behind, and SU was rewarded for its solid execution with a penalty kick.

 

Freshman forward Stephanie Skilton drilled home the penalty kick and the Orange enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 lead after relentless play on the attack.

 

“We were dynamic on the attack today, and the finishes were quality,” Wheddon said. “We probably could have had three or four more (goals). It was awesome.”

 

SU displayed an all-around great team effort on senior day. Anghel, who made all six of her saves in the second half, said she was proud of her teammates for hanging tough against a physical Miami team with a direct style of play.

 

It’s only one game, but a 3-0 win on Sunday could go a long way in bolstering SU’s confidence moving forward.

 

“We’re good enough to play with any of these teams,” senior defender Kayla Afonso said. “We just need to stick it out for the whole 90 minutes and finish our chances.”

Published on October 14, 2013 at 1:22 am