A flick-on by Syracuse’s Kailee Coonan in the midfield sent Sydney Brackett between two Colgate defenders with a look at goal. Her shot rose, but eventually crashed into the fence behind Colgate’s net for a goal kick. It was her third shot in a three-minute span which saw Syracuse dictating the midfield and finding openings in the Colgate defense after an inconsistent first half going forward. 

Brackett said first-year head coach Nicky Adams gave the Orange forwards the “blessing” to be creative in the final third. For Brackett, it meant using her speed to open up pockets of space between defenders.

Later in the second half, it meant Laurel Ness slotting home the game’s first and only goal with what Adams called a “special” left foot. The coaches only instructions were for the wingers to look for cutbacks , and Mackenzie Vlachos followed the orders to find Ness at the top of the 18-yard box, unmarked. 

“It’s just about reading and you know, responding to what the other team shows you,” Brackett said. 

The Orange started Adams’ reign with two preseason losses against Albany and Rutgers. On Sunday night, Syracuse (1-0) played the attacking type of soccer Adams wants to earn a 1-0 victory at SU Soccer Stadium against Colgate (0-2). Following a 3-15 season in which Syracuse scored just 11 goals, Adams philosophy of allowing creativity to shine through and playing attacking soccer was a welcome change, especially for the forwards, Ness said. Last year, the most shots the Orange had in a game was 18. Against Colgate, SU had 17. 

The two preseason games were choppy, Brackett said, with coaches stopping play at times to go over instructions with players and the halves being shorter than the typical 45 minutes. The final results weren’t as important in those games as having a sound defense, creating better communication and making sure it all came together come the start of the season. 

“It’s been a while and our program has gone through a lot of change and we responded in the best possible way,” Brackett said. “All the things we worked on in training, in preseason, all the requirements we set, standards we set as a team in the summer, and everyone did them. And that’s why we won tonight.” 

Syracuse showed its intent from the initial whistle. Starting with the ball, the Orange attacked down the left wing to send in a cross which looped over the goal and out of play. Yells of “We’re first, we’re first” rang across the field. In the 10th minute, Brackett took the Orange’s first shot of the game, but she shanked the ball with her left foot and sent it flying well over the goal mouth. 

Play swung from end-to-end but rarely were through-balls weighted correctly. Holding midfielder Georgia Allen fed Meghan Root in the 27th minute for Syracuse’s best chance of the half, but Root’s shot was swallowed by the Colgate goalkeeper who had come out to close the angle.

“We were getting forward but making poor decisions in the final third that kept us from really having quality opportunities,” Adams said.

During halftime, Adams noted SU was getting too narrow, and out of the break, it started exploiting the wide spaces, creating openings for Brackett and the fullbacks. Adams’ offseason training focused on fitness and creativity in the final third which showed in the second half. Again, the Orange were the first to attack, creating a nice link-up play on the right wing. But Clarke Brown strayed too far and was flagged for offside. 

Eleven minutes into the second half, Brackett began her barrage of shots toward the net but none had to be saved by the keeper. In the first half, the Orange had looked for short passes, trying to weave their way through the Colgate defense. Now, they played more direct.  

The breakthrough came in the 68th minute, when Ness was left unmarked in the 18-yard box to score her first collegiate goal. 

“I was able to get it right behind their entire defense, just cut it back to the right and just faked everybody out and had the goal wide open,” Ness said. “That easy.”  

Ness’ score held the lead for Syracuse’s first win. While the preseason presented hurdles, Brackett said, a win on opening night inspired confidence.

“It makes me so excited because if we can do that today, we can do that tomorrow, we can do that Thursday, we can do that in the ACC,” Brackett said. 

Published on August 25, 2019 at 11:46 pm

Contact Arabdho: armajumd@syr.edu | @aromajumder