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In the 41st minute, Virginia Tech was poised to break the deadlock between it and Syracuse. Defender Eden Skyers trotted to the corner to take the Hokies’ seventh corner kick of the contest.

Skyers lofted the ball from the right corner toward the crowd in front of Shea Vanderbosch. The goalkeeper lunged forward to grab the ball, but it glanced off her hands as she fell.

The ball landed right in front of Allie George, who made no mistake in front of the wide-open cage to put VT ahead 1-0.

That was all the Hokies (7-2-1, 2-0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) needed to defeat Syracuse (6-3-1, 0-2-0 ACC) 1-0 Sunday afternoon. The Orange struggled defensively, surrendering 11 corner kick opportunities throughout the contest. SU also failed to establish a consistent attack, despite the Hokies’ 15 total fouls.

In its 4-1 loss last time out at SMU, SU head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams felt that her team was not stepping into 50/50 balls often enough. The Orange were much more aggressive in the first half against Virginia Tech, not shying away from one-on-one battles. This forced the Hokies to take sloppy fouls, as they finished the opening frame with eight.

In the sixth minute, SU was given its first of many set-piece chances. Kate Murphy floated the ball to Maya McDermott on the right side of the 18-yard box, but her header attempt missed wide right. Moments later, Erin Flurey stole the ball off a turnover at midfield and put the ball on net, testing VT goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove for the first time.

In the 15th minute, Ava Uribe added on with a golden opportunity as she ran around the right flank of the box. But her quick strike was deflected up and over the net by the leg of Hargrove.

While SU generated shots early on, it also was pinned in its defensive zone for a good chunk of the first half. VT was awarded seven corners in the half, forcing Vanderbosch and SU’s backline to face dangerous scoring chances.

In the 17th minute, a VT corner kick found its way on net through a crowd, but Vanderbosch easily punched it out of trouble. Another corner by the Hokies deflected off of Vanderbosch’s head and rolled toward the goal line. But SU’s backline bailed out its goalie by kicking the ball out of harm’s way.

Virginia Tech continued to put heavy pressure on Vanderbosch, as the next corner attempt deflected off the shoulder of George and glanced off the post as Vanderbosch fell backward. The ball nearly crossed the goal line, but video review confirmed there was no goal on the play.

Flurey then put the Orange back on the attack by carving through VT’s midfield, using shifty movements to break through the Hokies’ backline. Flurey fired a shot on net, but Hargrove quickly dove to her right to make the save.

After being continuously awarded corner kicks for the majority of the first half, the Hokies finally converted in the 41st minute with George’s goal. Virginia Tech took control in the second half with a more aggressive press. After outshooting SU 7-6 in the first 45 minutes, VT led the shot category 10-4 in the second half.

In the 52nd minute, amid a three-on-two rush down the middle of Syracuse’s zone, Anna Weir dribbled the ball toward SU’s goalkeeper box. She could’ve easily crossed the ball to Samantha DeGuzman on her right side, whose hand was raised, indicating she was open. Instead, she opted to shoot the ball herself, but missed wide left.

The Hokies did not have to wait long for another opportunity to extend their lead. On a set piece, the ball found Sarah Rosenbaum parked in front of the goal. Despite two SU defenders smothering her, she jumped up and headed the ball on net, but the ball bounced off the right post and out of play.

Syracuse caught another break in the 62nd minute, as Natalie Mitchell’s cannon of a shot flew past Vanderbosch, but hit off the crossbar.

The remainder of the contest was guided by a series of midfield turnovers by both sides and Virginia Tech’s continued foul trouble. Yet, the Orange’s set-piece attempts in the final minutes were shut down by VT’s potent backline.

Published on September 15, 2024 at 6:17 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu