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Following Syracuse’s 5-0 loss to No. 1 North Carolina on Sept. 20, head coach Lynn Farquhar knew that something had to change. For the Orange to contend in the Atlantic Coast Conference, they can’t afford to give opponents the same amount of quality offensive opportunities.

Since their lopsided defeat, the Orange have let up just three goals in just five games, winning four of those contests.

“Nobody wants to be scored against, let alone five goals, that’s painful,” Farquhar said following SU’s latest win against Princeton. “You can either sulk about it or do something about it, and we figured we wanted to do something.”

No. 15 Syracuse’s (8-3, 2-2 ACC) defensive prowess continued against No. 14 Princeton (6-4, 3-0 Ivy League) Sunday, winning a low-scoring contest 2-1. Despite conceding nine penalty corners, Syracuse limited Princeton to just two shots on goal. It was SU’s fifth consecutive game with less than two goals allowed.

Early on in the game, Syracuse dominated possession, amassing seven shot attempts in the first half while limiting Princeton to just four. The Orange created sustained pressure, as players like Taja Gans and Willemijn Boogert constantly disrupted the Tigers’ attack.

“We talked a lot about one-on-one defense and just being patient,” Boogert said postgame. “As long as you’re patient, other people have a chance to come back too and we can work as a team again. So that’s definitely an emphasis we worked on all week.”

Throughout the game, Syracuse’s penalty corner defense was stout, with Princeton failing to score on any of its nine corners on the day. The Tigers’ corners produced zero shots on goal, with Syracuse’s defensive unit blocking or deflecting a majority of the chances that Princeton generated.

Princeton’s final penalty corner was inserted by Pru Lindsey, who found Beth Yeager with a chance to score. Similarly to the corners that preceded it, Yeager’s shot was harmlessly blocked by an SU defender and the Orange quickly got going the other way.

Syracuse goaltender Louise Pert only had to make one save on the day, denying an early attempt by Talia Schenck as the rest of Princeton’s 12 shots missed wide of the net. Pert’s lone blemish came in the third quarter when Yeager dribbled through the defense and fired a shot past Pert to tie the game at 1-1. It was the seventh goal of the season for Yeager, Princeton’s leading scorer this year.

Following the third quarter, where the Tigers produced four shots — compared to SU’s two — the Orange’s defensive unit needed a strong response in the fourth.

The quarter didn’t start off great, as Syracuse went down to nine players following penalties assessed to Berber Bakermans and Lieke Leeggangers. But Princeton couldn’t capitalize and the Orange held strong throughout the period.

“I think we just all wanted the win so badly, so we all just gave that little extra push, that extra energy, especially people that got cards and got off the field,” Boogert. “We all had to step up … and take the win.”

While Bo van Kempen hadn’t been used as much on its eight prior penalty corners, Syracuse knew that getting her involved was going to be crucial if it wanted to steal the win.

On its final penalty corner of the game, Lottie Summers provided a clean insertion, and van Kempen fired a rocket past Robyn Thompson for her ninth goal of the season.

The defense withstood Princeton’s late attempt to the game with an empty net — using one extra field player instead of its goalie. Boogert stalled the Tigers’ attack and hit the ball away from their offensive zone as the final seconds dwindled down to zero.

“The fact that we’re making progress is what we’re looking for, and that’s all you can ask for,” Farquhar said.

Published on October 6, 2024 at 5:41 pm

mjpalmar@syr.edu