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Kylen Grant reset on her own in the far-right corner before sending a high cross over Siena’s defense in the 62nd minute. Blue Ellis ran toward the ball before planting her feet in the middle of the box and heading it into an open net.

Syracuse took a 2-0 lead when the graduate transfer scored her first goal for the team. It was the Orange’s first goal after 26 attempts. The former Vanderbilt player had attempted four shots already before she finally capitalized in the second half. The team’s stout defense allowed Syracuse (3-1) to cruise past Siena (0-3-1) in a 2-0 win.

Syracuse dominated the time of possession from the start against a Saints team that could not keep them out of enemy territory. The Orange outshot Siena by 26 shots in a seemingly one-sided victory. While SU head coach Nicky Adams was happy with the win, she said the team needs to come out stronger and more accurately.

“We have got to do a better job of coming out and showing them what our game plan is,” Adams said. “The adjustments at halftime were really well done. I thought most of the time of possession in that second half was ours. We have to do better in the final third, especially inside the 18 (yard box), it wasn’t good enough.”

Despite SU controlling the ball for most of the game, only 14 of the Orange’s 34 shots were on goal. Their 41% accuracy rate during the match was lower than their total 48% accuracy rate from 2021, when they averaged less than one goal per game.

The first goal of the game came from freshman forward Anna Rupert in the ninth minute, immediately swinging the momentum in favor of the Orange.

Receiving the ball from a throw-in, Chelsea Domond put a move on her defender to get inside leverage. From there, she drove down the middle of the field and drew the goalie toward her before dishing the ball to Rupert. She scored with ease as the team rallied around the pair of them.

“We did so much repetition in practice on that play, so Chelsea knew how to play the ball,” Rupert said. “I had missed it a couple times in practice, so by game time I was prepared.”

Rupert has scored two goals in as many matches as she continues to shine in non-conference play. She said that scoring early is a big point of emphasis for SU and was glad to be able to give the team that spark.

“I think scoring early is always really good,” Rupert said. “It’s nice when you can score early because you can control the game a little bit. Starting early is a really big key for our team and we are going to keep working on it.”

Rupert said that first goal, as well as some halftime adjustments, helped the entire offense move better without the ball, allowing SU to retain possession for significant periods of time. The Orange constantly put pressure on the Saints inside their territory. An inescapable barrage of shots came from SU’s side while Siena did not even manage double digits.

Only four of the Saints’ eight shots were on goal, evidence of the smothering defense that SU played all game. Goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch racked up four saves, getting her hands on every shot on goal from Siena.

The Orange have attempted to set new expectations this season after last year’s disappointment. Adams said she knows they won’t get the same volume as they did today once ACC play starts.

“We’re going to be playing teams where we aren’t going to get that many opportunities and we have to be confident in ourselves to finish,” Adams said.

Adams wants to get them ready to capitalize offensively at an ACC level. Repetition in training is the way she plans to prepare the team for that increase in skill level.

“We are a week into really focusing on our attack and we are going to continue to do it,” Adams said. “It’s repetition in training and doing it at the highest intensity possible so it’s not a shock when they have someone tight on them. We have to do it more efficiently in practice.”

Published on August 28, 2022 at 6:37 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu