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In the 53rd minute of Syracuse’s game against Boston College, Kylen Grant chipped a pass from the middle of the Eagles’ zone down to her right to Chelsea Domond. The graduate student dribbled into the goal box and took a shot that hit the crossbar before going up and out. 

This set up a corner on the left side and the ball headed to the right end of the goal box. Grace Gillard collided with an Eagle defender and the ball went out the opposite end, setting up a second corner. 

Kate Murphy delivered the corner kick to the same spot, but this time Gillard connected on a header. But it didn’t reach the goal and Boston College cleared it out. Syracuse didn’t get that second touch on corner kick opportunities. 

Syracuse (8-5, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t convert on its offensive chances during the 1-0 loss to Boston College (5-5-3, 1-4, ACC). The Orange defense played exceptional, but one costly mistake gave BC its first conference win of the season and first win in a month. This loss has Syracuse tied with Boston College, Louisville and Miami for last place in the ACC standings.

Head coach Nicky Adams didn’t give Domond, SU’s leader in goals and assists, the start on Thursday evening. Domond trotted out on the field in the 23rd minute. 

Syracuse is sixth in the ACC with a .773 save percentage. She lived up to the standard on Thursday, but one slip up in the middle of the first half changed the game.

In the 25th minute, Vanderbosch came out to field an odd-angle shot from the right side. She got hands on it right in front of the right post, but bobbled the ball and it fell from her grasp. Boston College’s Claire Mensi immediately got control with her knees as the ball fell to the ground.

She then quickly stepped to her right and kicked the ball in the net before Vanderbosch could recover. It was Boston College’s first shot on goal of the game and their first goal in five matches. The Eagles now held a narrow 1-0 lead. 

Even with that goal, Syracuse dominated possession in the first half and was constantly on the attack. Less than 10 minutes after that goal, Domond made a pass as she fell down from the right side of BC’s goal box. The ball sliced through a couple Eagle defenders and Ashley Rauch fielded it. She turned around and took a clean shot but BC goalkeeper Wiebke Willebrandt made a routine save. 

Rauch set up in the left corner for a set piece on the ensuing play. Her ball went to the top of the goal box and headed towards the goal by Syraucse. Erin Flurey attempted another header but ran into a BC defender and the ball was loose. Jenna Tivnan saw the ball fall to the ground and took a shot that deflected off an Eagle player and out of bounds to the right of the goal.

Going into half time, Syracuse had doubled Boston College’s shots and shots on goal. In fact, the Eagles only shot was their goal after Vanderbosch dropped the save.

This changed in the second half though. BC became the aggressor and Eagles forward Sam Smith applied pressure to the Orange defense, getting off three shots in the half. In the 60th minute, she dribbled into the left side of the Syracuse goal box. Smith gave herself space after cutting past an Orange defender into the middle of the goal box. She took a booming shot that Vanderbosch corralled.

Almost fifteen minutes later, Smith dribbled the ball across midfield and barreled down the middle of the Syracuse zone. She stepped past defenders and went to her left, taking a shot from the top of the goal box. Tivnan just barely got her foot on the ball, which forced it up and over the net. 

As time was winding down in the game, the Orange really struggled to get the ball out of their own zone. But, in the last few minutes Domond created some chances.

She did a turn around move on the left sideline of the Eagle’s zone and curled a ball into the right side of the goal box. She tried to give Rauch a nice lead with no defenders in front of her and that worked. But, Willebrandt ran to the ball and scooped it up before Rauch could get a foot on it.

In the 90th minute, Domond fielded a ball from her right and cut towards the sideline. She then changed direction, faking out defenders and giving herself a chance to get a shot off. That move put her off balance though and she took another shot as she fell down. It sailed over the crossbar. 

Rauch and Domond created the most offense for the Orange, combining for almost half of the team’s shots. Another key offensive player, Flurey, went down with an injury in the 81st minute after taking a ball to the head. The referees immediately stopped play and she was helped off the field minutes later. 

The Orange will complete their three-game road trip with a Sunday afternoon game against No. 2 Virginia. The two teams will kick off in Charlottesville at 2 p.m. as Syracuse searches for its first ACC road win of the season.

Published on October 6, 2022 at 8:56 pm

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu