‘Cuse plays a pair of barnburners in California
‘Cuse plays a pair of barnburners in California
Syracuse field hockey went cross country this weekend, taking on both Cal and Stanford at Underhill field in Berkeley, California. The No. 14 Orange (8-3, 1-1 ACC) emerged from the weekend with mixed results, netting a stunning 4-3 win over the Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1 PAC-12) on Friday, but falling short at the last minute with a 2-3 loss to the No. 16 Cardinal (7-5, 1-0 PAC-12). Both matches were long battles fought hard until the bitter end, but the results couldn’t be more contradictory.
Cal Cracks the Orange
After just 28 seconds into the first period, the Golden Bears’ Megan Rodgers scored her fourth goal of the season off of an assist by Maddie Cleat. Cal came out aggressive, rolling over the Orange for much of the first period. Four minutes in, they scored again with an unassisted shot from Lindsay Mathison.
Syracuse had no answer for the following nine minutes as Cal launched another seven unsuccessful shots. The strong attack by the Golden Bears was finally disrupted by Charlotte DeVries, who scored 14 minutes into the game. It was the only shot of the first quarter for the Orange, but it was the start of a phenomenal day for the freshman forward.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the second period. The defense for both teams tightened immensely, with only two shots, both by Cal, in the quarter. While the shots were lacking, the aggression was not. Both teams were scrappy, with several fouls on each side and a yellow card for Cal’s Katrina Carter. The Orange entered the half trailing 1-2.
Syracuse Strikes Back
The Orange certainly made an adjustment to enter the second half. With new vigor, they scored a goal just under a minute into the third period. Sarah Luby’s goal tied the game up at 2-2, and the Orange managed to keep it in Cal’s half for most of the period.
The Golden Bears defense managed to hold off a goal for quite some time, but Charlotte DeVries scored her second goal 43 and a half minutes into the game, giving the Orange a 3-2 lead. The period ended took some of Syracuse’s shine with it.
Six and a half minutes into the fourth period, Katrina Carter scored her fourth goal of the season tying her once again as the leading goal scorer for Cal alongside Megan Rodgers. With the match tied, Syracuse and Cal went into overtime.
Hats Off to ‘Cuse
Syracuse managed to keep the ball in Cal’s half for most of the ten-minute overtime period. Cal only had one shot to Syracuse’s five. Both teams failed to score by the 70th minute, so the match went into double overtime.
It only took a minute and a half for DeVries to score her third goal of the match to seal the win for the Orange. The hat trick was the freshman’s first in what’s an impressive start to her career at Syracuse. She was outstanding in Friday’s matchup with an incredible six shots on goal, head and shoulders above the competition. Her success was integral in Syracuse’s 4-3 victory. Their performance was a shining moment in the weekend, but the Orange failed to maintain that magic on Saturday.
Vs. Stanford (3-2 Loss)
Syracuse Slowly Assumes Control
Things got off to a plodding start against Stanford. Neither team could score in the first period, but the Orange did manage to gain some control over the situation. They managed to get four unanswered shots in the first fifteen minutes of play, while the Cardinal couldn’t generate any real offense.
The second period started with Syracuse maintaining its steady, collected attack. It was a matter of probability that they should score soon. In the 21st minute, Claire Cooke gained control of the ball outside the circle, and with a strong push, she scored the first goal of the evening. However, the unassisted goal seemed to light a spark in Stanford.
In the following four minutes, the Cardinal ripped off two more shots before finally hitting the net with a goal from Lynne Vanderstichele off of a pass from Corinne Zanolli. The goal tied the game at 1-1 as the half ended.
A Cardinal Comeback
Four minutes into the half, Syracuse’s Sarah Luby managed to score an unassisted goal giving the Orange a solid 2-1 lead for the majority of the second half. The match reached a stalemate with only one Stanford shot on net for the rest of the third period.
The fourth period was similarly stagnant, with only one shot from the Cardinal saved by Sarah Sinck. The Orange’s grasp on the match simply began to slip. With under five minutes left to play, Stanford asserted themselves in a big way.
With a pass from Sarah Johnson, Frances Carstens nailed a shot to tie the game. What seemed like a probable win was suddenly a last-minute fight for survival for Syracuse. Stanford came hard on offense with three more rapid shots in under a minute, but it was the fourth one by Emma Alderton that sealed Syracuse’s fate.
With only a minute of play left, Stanford beat ‘Cuse in spectacular fashion. Syracuse leaves Berkeley with some uncertainty going forward, and the hope is that this is a minor bump in their otherwise fantastic season.
On to the Tarheels
Syracuse plays the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels at home next Saturday, Oct. 12. UNC is the only remaining undefeated team in the nation. It looks to be a considerable challenge that the Orange needs to approach with all of the power they can muster. They proved this weekend that they can come back and stay competitive for as long as 80 minutes with their win over Cal, and with that kind of talent, they can’t afford to give up another late-game lead. The UNC game will be broadcast on ACC Network at 1 P.M. on Saturday.
