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Virginia’s offense threatened consistently throughout the match, forcing SU to make some tough saves towards the end of the first half. With six minutes remaining, the Cavaliers were in SU territory when Maya Carter finally broke free on the right side, receiving a pass from Haley Hopkins inside the 18. SU goalie Shea Vanderbosch realized there was no defensive help, so she rushed the freshman forward and smothered the shot with a slide, forcing a corner.

Just seconds later, Talia Staude got a head on the corner and the ball bounced towards the center of the goal, but Kylen Grant cleared the ball away, saving a diving Vanderbosch from giving up her second goal of the half. That possession ended with a little over four minutes remaining, and the Orange were able to escape the half with a tie, despite being dominated in time of possession. 

The No. 2 Cavaliers (10-2-2, 3-2-1 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t penetrate a tough Syracuse (8-5-1, 1-3-1 ACC) backline in the 2-2 tie. Although UVA sent 24 shots to SU’s three, the Cavaliers only had 11 shots on goal, nine of which were saved by Vanderbosch. The Orange played stout defense and took advantage of crucial UVA mistakes to tie the ACC’s top-ranked team on their turf. Syracuse finally avoided a loss against its conference rival, one that it had never tied or defeated prior to Sunday’s game. 

The Orange jumped out in front quickly because of a UVA own goal less than two minutes into the game. Machtens took the ball inside the 18 for the Orange, making her way to the baseline where she sent a cross into the middle. It was a bit too far for Commandant, but Laney Rouse’s attempt at clearing the ball missed and the ball trickled off the post and into the net. SU scored both of its points in the first or last two minutes of this game, while UVA dominated everything in between. 

Syracuse evened the game at two with just 1:28 remaining because of a lackadaisical play from the Cavaliers. UVA immediately abandoned the box after the goalie scooped up an errant pass, and SU’s Pauline Machtens took advantage of the unfocused and outnumbered back line. She stole the ball from Lacey McCormack off the goalie’s pass and lined the ball to the right of Cayla White, who dove to get a hand on it. But Koby Commandant was all alone on the right side to put the rebound quickly into the net and SU capitalized on a second Virginia mistake inside its own box.

UVA entered tied for third in the nation in goals against average (.385). But SU’s defense excelled inside the box, causing a .083 shot percentage, a drop from UVA’s .148 season average. Meanwhile, Syracuse took advantage of the few opportunities it got inside the 18, tying a game in which they were undeniably outplayed on offense. 

Haley Hopkins ranks fifth in the ACC in shots per game with 3.54, and the Cavaliers made a clear effort to get her involved to start the second half. In the first three minutes, Virginia had two opportunities to get Hopkins the ball in space, but both lead passes were too far for the forward, who was draped by defenders both times. 

In the 61st minute, the Cavaliers sent a through ball that was too far for Hopkins. She collected and passed to Maggie Cagle, who went behind the back to leave SU defender Kendyl Lauher sprawled on the turf. With room to maneuver, she sent a calculated cross to Jill Flammia inside the goalie box, who sent a quick strike to the back of the net. Virginia took a 2-1 lead that it squandered in the final minutes.

Published on October 9, 2022 at 5:28 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu