Syracuse women’s soccer claims a draw against No.17 Wake Forest
Syracuse women’s soccer draws against Wake Forest
The Orange led 2-0 at halftime before a determined Wake Forest stormed back to secure a point
Syracuse women’s soccer played No. 17 Wake Forest to a 2-2 draw at the SU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night.
The injury-ridden Orange squad, which had multiple players playing out of position, earned its first ACC point of the season.
SU sprung an early surprise on the Demon Deacons, taking advantage of its opportunities to jump out to a 2-0 lead after 45 minutes. In the second half, the Orange saw the lead evaporate and clung on for the draw.
This was the Orange’s third game against ranked opposition in its last four contests.
“[Against] the No.17 team in the country, getting a result, I think it’s great,” redshirt sophomore forward Erin Flurey said. “Obviously we wanted to win, but a result is a result.”
Despite a massive disadvantage in shots (29-3) and corner kicks (12-0) on the evening, it was the Orange who started quickly.
Flurey created the first chance of the game, driving into the 18-yard box and finding sophomore defender Grace Gillard, who skied it over the bar. Aside from a few instances of decent build-up, and an effort from Wake Forest’s Caiya Hanks hitting the post, neither team took control of the match.
The Deacons best chance of the half came from Malaika Meena, who picked up the ball on the edge of the box and nearly curled it into the top of the net, but sophomore goalie Shea Vanderbosch pushed it wide.
Syracuse punished sloppy play from the Deacons’ defense in the 27th minute to stun its opponents and snatch the lead. Senior forward Hannah Pilley stole the ball off a misplaced pass, slipped it to Flurey who dribbled into the box, and perfectly placed the ball past the outstretched arms of the Wake Forest keeper.
The Orange were structured for the rest of the half, allowing a few shots but keeping a rigid formation un they took another step towards an upset with a goal late in the first half. A ball over the top found sophomore forward Anna Rupert as she was making a forward run from midfield.
Senior midfielder Raia James burst into the box late, just in time to receive a pass from Rupert and redirect it into the goal for a surprising 2-0 lead.
“Raia is one of those kids that shows up every single day,” Syracuse head coach Nicky Adams said. “What a big moment for her. She put it away, exactly what we’ve been working on in practice, a fantastic goal and she deserved it.”
Despite being outshot 6-3 in the first half, the Orange took its chances when the Demon Deacons could not and took the 2-0 lead into the halftime break. The opposite happened in the second 45 minutes.
The Demon Deacons forced two saves from Vanderbosch early in the half before making good on their pressure, scoring in the 56th minute.
Later on, calamity in the Syracuse box saw a loose ball unclaimed, and Wake’s Anna Swanson pounced, putting it into the back of the net. Following the goal, the ball barely left the Orange’s final third, but heroics from Vanderbosch narrowly kept the Orange ahead.
To close out the game, Syracuse kept its players behind the ball in a 4-1-4-1 formation and were playing to “preserve the tie,” according to Adams.
The ultra-defensive Orange managed no shots throughout the second half and was bailed out by Vanderbosch multiple times, who ended the game with 12 saves.
“It seems like that’s how it’s been a lot this season. We’re fighting and then we’ll have silly errors,” Adams said. “We’ll take this, a point in the ACC league, the best conference in women’s soccer. To get any point, especially in the situation we’re in, is pretty dang good.”
The Orange play next at Louisville on Sunday. The match will be the their sixth ACC game of the season and is set to kick off at 1 p.m.
is a reporter for The NewsHouse.
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