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Kate Murphy lined up for a left-footed corner kick in the 74th minute with Syracuse down 1-0 to Clemson. Murphy’s kick sailed high, dropping right into the mass of bodies inside the goalie box. Jenna Tivnan had noticed that Murphy’s corners had been going in closer to the goal than usual, so she switched roles with Grace Gillard to get herself into the thick of the action. Tivnan said that she and Gillard always communicate well in practice and hold each other accountable without placing blame, providing stability on the backline and on this particular corner kick.

Tivnan rose out of the crowd to get her head on the ball, and it bounced into the bottom right-hand side of the goal. Tivnan took off down the field in celebration before busting out a celebratory dance next to the SU sideline.

“I had seen that the balls were going more towards the six than out wide, they weren’t getting where we needed them to be,” Tivnan said. “I ended up switching with Gilly so that I could get to the mix of it all because I knew that if it was coming toward me I would beat the player.”

Tivnan’s goal was the only one Syracuse (8-5-2, 1-4-2 Atlantic Coast) scored in its 1-1 tie against Clemson (7-4-3, 3-3-1 ACC), its second-straight conference draw. Along with scoring, Tivnan made some game-saving stops on defense, limiting the Tigers from scoring more than once on 17 shots. She finished the second-to-last home game of her SU career with player of the game honors, according to SU head coach Nicky Adams.

“Jenna, specifically, is our target, but Jenna can’t be Jenna unless the service is where we need it,” Adams said on the goal. “Kate has been so spot on all season long with getting Jenna the ball.”

Tivnan’s second goal of the year came at a time of the season where Syracuse had made a recent habit of late equalizers. In its draw against then-No. 2 Virginia last Sunday, SU could not string possessions together but capitalized on opponents’ mistakes. Against the Tigers, Syracuse traded possessions consistently throughout the match. Tivnan was the player from the backline that transitioned the Orange from defense to offense.

Before the Tigers scored their first goal in the 17th minute, Tivnan made a lunging stop to disrupt a cross from Makenna Morris on the right baseline. The speedy Morris was always accounted for, mostly being covered by Tivnan.

Tivnan was also in the midst of most of Clemson’s 13 corner kicks, heading and clearing countless crosses before it could reach its intended target. But the Tigers didn’t capitalize on a single one in the tie, thanks in large part to Tivnan’s defensive presence inside the box on those kicks.

Another crucial stop by Tivnan’s foot came five minutes into the second half. Emily Brough took Shea Vanderbosch’s goal kick down the middle of the field and broke right at the box. Tivnan played her tight as she drove, giving no shooting lanes and eventually led her out of bounds to get the ball back for SU. 

“From top to bottom, our defending was really good,” Adams said. “Jenna and Gilly, I mean I can’t say enough. They’ve been amazing all year long, both of them are fantastic competitors.”

Published on October 14, 2022 at 11:33 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu