SU women’s soccer Senior Night ends in 0-0 draw with Cornell

Syracuse senior night ends in 0-0 draw

Syracuse and Big Red play to a scoreless tie despite a stellar Orange team performance.

Story by Paolo Confino / Photos by Isaiah Vazquez

Published: September 10, 2021

[Left to Right] Cornell's Ashley Durik, Syracuse's Kylen Grant, Cornell's Evanthia Spyredes and Syracuse's Kate Murphy chase the ball after it was blocked by Spyredes during a Women's Soccer game at SU Soccer Stadium on September 9, 2021.

Thursday was Senior Night at SU Soccer Stadium. And while the visiting Cornell Big Red may not have spoiled the party, they at least turned down the music.

Despite an excellent performance, the Syracuse women’s soccer team drew 0-0 against Cornell, extending their unbeaten streak to four games.

The match started evenly as both sides looked to feel each other out. Cornell sat in a mid-block with tight lines to limit Syracuse’s space in midfield while the Orange attempted to control play with measured passes.

Eight minutes in, SU senior defender Alina Miagkova beat her defender on the left wing and let loose a powerful shot that bounced off her teammate. This would be a sign of things to come as Syracuse controlled the game despite lacking precision in the final third.

Syracuse senior forward Meghan Root showed off her quality in a wonderful piece of individual skill. Root beat her defender in the middle of the park and forced Cornell senior goalkeeper Miranda Iannone into one of many terrific saves.

Cornell's Emily St. John, Syracuse's Telly Vunipola and Cornell's Naomi Jaffe battle for the ball in the Big Red's 6-yard box during a Women's Soccer game at SU Soccer Stadium on September 9, 2021.

SU head coach Nicky Adams then made a tactical change and took off left-winger Miagkova for freshman midfielder Liesel Odden.

“I give Cornell a lot of credit because they eliminated one of our major strengths and we were really having a hard time playing through the midfield,” Adams said “We changed formation added another midfield

.”

The change paid off, as Syracuse forced Cornell into their zone for the entirety of the second half. The Orange had several opportunities at the beginning of the second half but the best chance came in the 60th minute.

Odden flicked a long ball into freshman midfielder Pauline Machtens’ path. Machtens’ put a well-placed through ball to senior midfielder Telly Vunipola who was unable to capitalize on the chance. The link-up play and effective passing into the final third would continue throughout the half.

Unfortunately, for the Orange, so did the missed chances. Freshman center back Emma Klein added to her stellar performance with a looping header from a corner kick in the 81st minute that an outstretched Iannone met in the bottom left corner of Cornell’s goal.

Syracuse Women's Soccer in action against Cornell University at SU Soccer Stadium on September 9, 2021. The game ended in a 2OT tie, 0-0.

Extra time was marked by several officiating decisions. The first being a presumed shove by Cornell’s Sophie Weeter, in the 95th minute when the ball was out of play. After VAR review, the play was not deemed a bookable offense.

Then, in overtime, Vunipola went down in the Cornell box after a Syracuse corner kick which elicited numerous, animated appeals for a penalty – all of which were denied by the referee.

Despite controlling most of the contest, the final horn blew and the 0-0 draw stood. Graduate defender Natalie Weidenbach said this game will help the team grow for the remainder of the season.

“[We feel] disappointment because no one wants a tie but also confidence in the sense that we’re ready to take on these ACC teams,” Weidenbach said.