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With eight minutes to play down one in the second period, a Virginia through ball left a Cavalier defender alone with SU keeper Brooke Borzymowski. As she’s done many times, Brooke stayed calm and took a step up to reduce the attackers’ angle to the goal. The Virginia player ripped a back hand shot that was aiming for the top left corner. Borzymowski picked her leg up and pushed the shot wide with her pad, keeping the Virginia lead at one. 

That save was the first save in a tough five-minute period for the SU defense in a 3-0 loss on the road at No. 10 Virginia (5-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast). From then until about three minutes left in the second, No. 11 Syracuse (7-2, 1-1 ACC) faced seven combined penalty corners and did not let up a single goal. In the first one, Brooke made an incredible diving stop to deny Virginia a second. Borzymowski made four more saves on the penalty corners in the second, and SU escaped into halftime only down one.

Syracuse was completely dominated in the first half, getting outshot 17-2. Borzymowski was the only reason the game was in reach. Virginia forced Syracuse without a shot in the second and third period, while the Cavaliers accumulated 13. However, the defense stepped up in the absence of the offense as it was still a one goal game going into the fourth. 

In the final 15 minutes, the SU offense finally woke up, but could not put the ball in the net. With eight minutes left to play, SU had two penalty corners saved, unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Not even a minute later, Virginia had a penalty corner of their own. Borzymowski made a save on the first shot but could not keep out the rebound, and the Cavaliers went up 2-0. Later in the period, Virginia made it 3-0, effectively icing the game.

Syracuse allowed Virginia to have 14 penalty corners to their six today. In a high-intensity ACC matchup, giving the opposing team a free play from the baseline is a recipe for disaster. 

Borzymowski did all she could with 12 saves on the day. SU had a ‘Brooke wall’ behind them, but still suffered their second loss of the season and first in ACC play.