No. 10 Syracuse falls to No. 14 Harvard in 11-goal thriller

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Harvard’s Bronte-May Brough looked up through a crowd of Syracuse defenders. She was looking for her second and game-winning score from a penalty corner. Despite the numerous bodies shielding a clean look at net, Brough shot anyway. SU goalkeeper Brooke Borzymowski could only watch as Brough’s effort sailed past her and into the goal.

Brough’s finish proved to be the decider in No. 14 Harvard’s (7-3, 3-0 Ivy League) 6-5 win over No. 10 Syracuse (8-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). After the Orange obtained their first conference win of the season against Boston College on Friday, SU dropped the final contest of its two-game Massachusetts road trip.

Harvard played aggressively from the opening whistle. Freshman Sage Piekarski issued a warning shot four minutes in and won a corner, though her teammates could not capitalize. A minute later Piekarski was involved once again when she got on the end of an Avery Donahue cross and knocked the ball past Borzymowski to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead.

During the majority of the first quarter, Harvard did well to cede and absorb pressure, but SU eventually got onto the scoresheet off of a corner opportunity. With less than two minutes left in the opening period, Eefke van den Nieuwenhof rifled the ball past Tessa Shahbo to knot the game at 1-1.

Just 30 seconds later, Syracuse broke away on a counterattack to end the first quarter. Pieke van de Pas set up Willeijn Boogert, who found the back of the net. But, early in the second, Harvard responded quickly. Emily Guckian scored the equalizeer off of a well-worked team move. Syracuse would once again pull ahead after Cato Schreinemacher pounced on a penalty corner opportunity right in front of net. But, again, the Crimson managed to tie the game just three minutes later. Borzymowski, who is usually reliable between the sticks, was rooted still as she watched Lara Beekhuis’ effort fly past her.

Then, with two minutes remaining before halftime, Harvard opened up a commanding two-goal lead to make things 5-3. Brough netted off of a penalty corner and, with eight seconds left in the first half, Donahue raced the length of the field to punch home a solo finish. Donahue’s goal marked Harvard’s fifth goal on five shots. By the end of the first half, Syracuse conceded five goals, already a season high, and Borzymowski failed to register a single save.

To begin the second half, Abby Neitch made her season debut in replacement for Borzymowski. While SU’s defense kept Harvard scoreless, the Orange’s offense was unable to cut into the Crimson’s lead until the fourth period. Following an action-packed, eight-goal first half, the score stayed 5-3 after three.

Six minutes into the final quarter, Syracuse was granted a lifeline with a penalty corner. Charlotte de Vries got on the end of it to bring SU within one. Two minutes later, Boogert won a penalty stroke which van den Nieuwenhof converted, tying the game at 5-5. Harvard’s two-goal lead, which they had fought so hard to earn in the first half and preserve in the third quarter, had evaporated in a matter of moments.

But just like it had in the first half, Syracuse fell apart near the end. At the 55 minute mark, with five minutes to play, the Crimson reclaimed the lead through Brough’s finish. Her goal came a mere two minutes after van den Nieuwenhof had equalized.

With no time left on the clock, down 6-5, Syracuse was awarded one final chance to tie the game from a penalty corner but failed to execute.