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Amid a four-game losing streak, Syracuse knew it needed to come out with a fast start against Wake Forest. However, Sunday’s matchup could not have begun worse for the Orange.

In just the third minute, Wake Forest entered the SU end and Emily Morris worked the ball through the top of the 18-yard box. Murphy slid the ball in front to Caiya Hanks, who tapped it into the open net to give the Demon Deacons an early 1-0 lead.

“(Wake Forest) has 19 seniors, so you saw what that kind of leadership and seniority can do,” Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said postgame. “They did not take a second off the entire game.”

After Syracuse (6-6-1, 0-5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) surrendered an early goal to No. 5 Wake Forest (8-2-2, 3-1-1 ACC), the Orange struggled to generate a response for the remainder of the contest. The Demon Deacons’ potent offense padded their lead with an additional two goals in the second half in a 3-0 rout of SU.

Stunned in the opening minutes by Hanks’ tally, the Orange were kept on their heels for the majority of the first half. Wake Forest continued to apply pressure throughout the frame, outshooting Syracuse 9-3.

In the eighth minute, Hanks nearly scored her second of the day. Stepping into the right side of the 18-yard box, she made a quick move around Ava Uribe and sent a strike toward the net. But SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch punched the ball and corralled the rebound for her first of eight saves.

Later on, the Orange would get their first opportunity of the game. A long pass landed in front of Anna Rupert all alone on the right side of the Wake Forest net. Working around defender Zara Chavoshi, Rupert sent a cross toward the middle, but it bounced past Erin Flurey, who was waiting to fire the ball home.

Syracuse’s offensive struggles stemmed mainly from a lack of clean transitions out of its defensive zone in the first half. This was especially evident when Maya McDermott turned the ball over to Morris in the midfield, creating a golden opportunity for the Demon Deacons. But Vanderbosch was there to bail out her teammate, coming out and claiming the loose ball.

“We worked all week on having tighter connections through the midfield because Wake can get so expansive,” Adams said. “The problem was we were not good technically completing our first two passes.”

The Orange showed more desperation to start the second half, but Wake Forest’s backline held SU to only two shots on target. With the added pressure to even up the score, Syracuse began to show a lack of discipline, as Gabby Wisbeck, Uribe and Flurey were each given yellow cards throughout the final 45 minutes.

In the 55th minute, back-to-back blocks by SU’s backline sprung attacks for its best chance of the contest.

Sprinting toward the right post, Flurey worked the ball down into the right corner of the Wake Forest end. With a quick spin move around her defender, she sent a perfect pass in front to Liesel Odden, but her chance was denied by Valentina Amaral as she dove to her right.

Not even a minute later, the Demon Deacons went the other way and capitalized on a cross as Hanks netted her second goal of the afternoon, putting Wake Forest ahead 2-0.

“This game is crazy, right?” Adams said. “The goalkeeper makes an amazing save on Liesel (when) it could’ve been 1-1, and then in transition, they beat us and we’re down 2-0.”

In the 65th minute, Hanks would also help put the contest all but out of reach for Syracuse. With Emily Colton to her right, she sprinted down the left side of the SU zone and flew past Iba Oching. With a light tap of the ball, she gave Colton a cross to the middle of the six-yard box and she easily put it past Vanderbosch.

In the final stages of the contest, the Orange were given one more opportunity to get on the scoreboard.

Off a corner attempt, Julia Dening found the ball through a crowd of black and orange jerseys and fired it toward the open net. The attempt was punched away by Paige Nurkin, but the Orange couldn’t pounce on the rebound before it was cleared away. Wake Forest held on to preserve the clean sheet and hand SU its fifth straight loss.

“I don’t think we were as good (today) as we’ve been the rest of the season,” Adams said.

Published on September 29, 2024 at 7:10 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu