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With 30 seconds left in regulation, Syracuse had one last chance. Despite being outshot 20-4, despite being out-possessed for the entirety of the first half and much of the second and despite only two shots on goal, there was still hope as the Orange set up a final penalty corner, trailing Wake Forest 1-0.  

The Syracuse cage was empty — with goalkeeper Syd Taylor swapped for an extra midfielder — as SJ Quigley’s inbounded ball found Charlotte de Vries. Drawing multiple defenders, the Syracuse sophomore connected with an unmarked Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, who rifled a long-shot into the bottom right corner to force overtime. Teammates flooded the field in celebration.

Minutes later, Quigley found the net again, her sudden-victory period goal the winner. And once again, SU flooded the field.

A day after Carly Bothof’s 49th-minute goal lifted to a 1-0 win over Wake Forest, the Orange (3-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) beat the Demon Deacons (1-5, 0-3) again, 2-1, spearheaded by van den Nieuwenhof’s goal and Quigley’s overtime winner.

Taylor recorded a career-high seven saves, including six in the first half, as she kept Wake Forest off the scoresheet for the first 47 minutes. Syracuse spent a vast majority of the game defending its own half — held together, at times, only by Taylor — but were able to capitalize on limited chances for a come-from-behind win. Monday’s midday game did not count toward conference standings, but SU’s performance during its third game in the past four days allowed them to reach .500.

In overtime, with five minutes played and five to go, a long-pass found the feet of Bothof, who was 2-on-2 with Wake Forest. Bothof drew goalkeeper Ally Butler out of her cage, and then snuck a pass to a wide-open Quigley who netted the easy shot. The goal, Quigley’s second of the season, came during an overtime period that SU dominated, allowing only one Demon Deacon shot.

But during the first half, Syracuse was struggling. SU conceded three consecutive corners during the first period — all three of which required Taylor’s intervention, including a diving effort on the first one. It took 27 minutes for the Orange to register their first shot, a rocketed effort from van den Nieuwenhof on a penalty corner that forced a save from Butler.

Throughout the first 30 minutes, Syracuse struggled to connect sequences of passes in the Wake Forest half and build momentum. de Vries was largely quiet up front, and every time the ball did find her, she was stuffed by the Demon Deacons and dispossessed before she could shoot. SU seemed over-reliant on individual play in the final third and saw numerous passes intercepted by an inexperienced Wake Forest team that is yet to win a conference game this season.

de Vries played a more midfield-oriented role in the second half, coming back toward SU’s cage to collect passes and distributing to Bothof and Carolin Hoffman. Still, the Orange looked flat, and the Demon Deacons finally broke the deadlock with a goal from Nat Friedman. Setting up camp in the middle of the Syracuse shooting circle, she received a pass surrounded by four defenders but got her shot off before anyone could react.

In the final minutes of regulation following Friedman’s go-ahead goal, Syracuse applied a high press to Wake Forest, forcing turnovers in front of the Demon Deacon cage and generating a de Vries shot. The Orange earned a penalty corner after a 5-yard violation on an inbound play, and van den Nieuwenhof tied the game.

Syracuse is scheduled to play its first, and only, home game of the season against first-place Louisville on Oct. 30 at J.S. Coyne Stadium, following next week’s bye. The fourth-place Orange have not yet played Boston College after a positive test within its program forced the series to be postponed — it remains unclear whether either, or both, of SU’s games against the Eagles will be rescheduled. Following the Louisville game, all seven ACC teams are expected to play in the conference’s tournament, which begins Nov. 5.

Published on October 19, 2020 at 4:39 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16