Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

With 30 seconds left in the first quarter, Vermont’s Alicia Battistelli waited patiently before lasering a pass to the stick of a cutting Sophia Lefranc, who deposited it into the bottom of the net. The goal tied a then-competitive game at 1-1.

But that was the only goal for Vermont (1-1, 0-0 American East) as Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) ran away with the contest 9-1 behind hat tricks from newcomer Pieke van de Pas and veteran back Eefke van den Nieuwenhof. The Catamounts were overwhelmed by a flurry of shots on goal, a category in which the Orange led 16-2.

Syracuse started the game inefficiently, failing to convert on three penalty corners in the first quarter, leaving the door open for Vermont. It got on the board at the 7:56 mark of the quarter, when van de Pas snuck a shot into the net.

Van de Pas then assisted on the next goal for the Orange, sending a cross from well outside the circle into the stick of Willemijn Boogert for the score. The goal was scored 28:34 into the half, putting Syracuse up 2-1. From there, it never looked back.

Syracuse seemed untouchable in the second half. It flourished in almost every way, fouling 14 fewer times than the first half, adding 12 shots on goal, and scoring seven times. Van den Nieuwenhof tallied three goals and two assists in the contest.

Van de Pas also had three goals, and nearly had a fourth, but her defender committed a penalty to allow a penalty shot. Van de Pas secured a hat trick in the fourth quarter when she dove on the run, extending a shot into the back of the net to increase the Orange lead to 6-1.

The Orange hadn’t gotten going in the first 36 minutes. They possessed the ball for the majority of the time, earning great scoring looks but for the most part, weren’t able to make anything happen. Vermont’s goalkeeper, Lauren Halenkamp, starting for the second time of her career, impressed over that span with three saves and only two goals allowed before the floodgates opened.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, van den Nieuwenhof scored the final two goals of the game, one on a spinning backhand shot.

The offensive output for the Orange came from a variety of sources. Charlotte de Vries was fairly quiet, attempting four shots with two on goal but failing to score. De Vries’ typical dominance was assumed mostly by van de Pas and van den Nieuwenhof.

On Friday, Sept. 1, the Orange will host Monmouth at J.S. Coyne Stadium. The Orange went undefeated at home last season, finishing with a 9-0 record.

Published on August 27, 2023 at 4:57 pm