A Pennsylvania player broke away from Syracuse’s midfielders and dribbled into open space, entering the Orange’s defensive zone. A hard touch on the ball opened up an opportunity for goalie Regan Spencer to run out and throw her body at the ball. Spencer slid and swept the Penn player’s legs out from under her, knocking the ball away.

“I knew they were up numbers and I knew she going to dribble in close or I could try and stop her at the top,” Spencer said. “The ball was ahead of her, her eyes were down, so I figured I could go for it.”

Spencer’s activeness in goal was a deciding factor in her second shutout of the season, as No. 1 Syracuse (8-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) defeated Penn (5-2, 1-0 Ivy), 4-0. Spencer saved six shots, three of which came within the first 20 minutes of the game.

Coming into the game, SU head coach Ange Bradley was upset with the number of shots Syracuse was giving up and the lack of pressure by its defense. The Orange fell in double overtime to No. 5 North Carolina just two days prior.

“UNC was a wake up call and eye-opener. We identified the changes we needed to make,” Spencer said. “(Penn) was a really good trial run to go out and do it and prove, not only to me, but to each other.”

Penn started the game with strong pressure on SU and was dominating possession. However, for every Quakers shot, Spencer was there to make the stop.

On Penn’s second penalty corner, Spencer deflected a shot and, as the ball rolled toward the end line, she saw players collapsing toward the ball. She ran over and slid, kicking the ball out of bounds.

Just a few minutes later, Penn’s Gina Guccione fired a shot on goal. Spencer stuck out her foot to stop the ball from getting past her. It rolled back into play, but SU was able to block Alexa Hoover’s rebound and start a counter-attack.

After the first half, Syracuse’s offense stepped up, and the team’s defense limited Penn to just three more shots.

Spencer has allowed just 10 goals over her eight starts this season. And a big reason behind her success is her movement in front of the goal. Whether it is diving to keep an opponent from scoring off a rebound or stopping a one-on-one with the opposition, Spencer has reliably been there to break up the runs.

“I think (Regan) was fantastic,” Bradley said. “To see her come out and be able to repeat a performance (like against UNC), there’s nothing more powerful than that.”

Published on September 25, 2016 at 6:35 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco