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Syracuse (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coastal Conference) returned to the win column with a 2-0 victory over Northeastern (2-4, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) Friday. The shutout is the Orange’s second of the season after opening the year with a 9-0 win over Lock Haven. SU’s defense rebounded strongly after a frustrating 5-0 loss against Ohio State Sunday. Meanwhile, its offense notched a season-high 22 shots.

Despite not scoring in the first quarter, SU recorded six shots. Head coach Lynn Farquhar’s team saw itself with three fast break opportunities it couldn’t convert. After forcing only three penalty corner opportunities against Ohio State on Sunday, Syracuse managed to get five looks from the corner just more than nine minutes into the game.

“Losing can teach you so much,” Farquhar said postgame. “It never feels good, but it’s about how you bounce back.”

Forward Hattie Madden wanted to turn the page quickly.

“(The game against) Ohio State wasn’t Syracuse hockey,” Madden said. That’s not how we play or how we want to play in the future. We took it to heart. We were hungry.”

Even with a plethora of golden opportunities for Syracuse to get on the board for the first time in two games, it couldn’t convert. The majority of the shots were wide and off the mark.

Defensively, the Orange stood tall. Louise Pert made a sliding save with six minutes to play in the first. Soon after, Northeastern was rewarded with its first penalty corner of the day. SU’s defense buckled down to prevent a clean shot from getting off.

“We made adjustments with our own structure,” Farquhar said. “Individual defense was a huge emphasis, and you could see that sharpen up as the game went on.”

The second quarter started off the same way. The Huskies successfully killed two more penalty corners and an additional green card. With just over three minutes remaining, the Orange finally cashed in. Vivian Rowan turned defense into offense.

After stealing possession from Northeastern, Rowan had a breakaway opportunity. With the defense closing in, Rowan beat the defender to the spot and slapped in the first goal of the game giving Syracuse a lead going into the half.

“(Rowan) has really stepped it up,” Farquhar said. “She’s being intentional… she went all after it, and that’s what you want to see…. (From a team perspective), that didn’t show up against Ohio State.”

The second half was more physical. Both teams were issued a green card less than two minutes into the third quarter. Syracuse had a golden opportunity with nine and a half minutes to play in the third.

Amid the chaos in Northeastern’s circle, goalie Kristi Merashoff found herself scrambling for the loose ball. Had the Orange been able to gain control of it, they would have had a good look to extend their lead. Instead, Northeastern kept the game at 1-0.

Less than three minutes later, Northeastern’s Lilly Smith was called for a yellow card, giving Syracuse a five-minute player-up advantage. After another missed shot off a penalty corner, Madden rebounded the loose ball.

The sophomore tried to squeeze her shot between the post and Merashoff. It appeared the Huskies’ goalie had made yet another save, but she didn’t get enough of it. The ball trickled past her and across the line for the goal and a 2-0 lead for Syracuse.

“We have seen (the chippiness) in every game we’ve been in,” Farquhar said.

Published on September 13, 2024 at 9:00 pm