Syracuse concedes 6 to Pittsburgh in largest defeat of season
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Kylen Grant couldn’t close down Sarah Schupansky fast enough. Grant had tracked the through ball down the left flank but fell a few paces short as Schupansky delivered a low driven cross into the box.
Kate Murphy, Alyssa Abramson and SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch were the players closest to the ball. But, weaving her way undetected to latch onto Schupansky’s pass was Landy Mertz. Snaking in between Murphy and Abramson, Mertz found space near the back post to tap in a practically empty-net goal.
Her score marked Pitt’s fifth of the evening. Twenty-nine minutes still remained in the second half.
Syracuse (2-11-2, 0-6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) remained winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play after a 6-0 trouncing to the visiting Panthers (12-2-1, 5-1-1 ACC) on Saturday afternoon. The Orange haven’t won a game since their 2-1 victory over Binghamton on Aug. 27. Throughout the contest, Pitt dominated SU on both sides of the ball, exposing Syracuse’s fragile defense and a discombobulated offense.
From the jump, Pittsburgh played an extremely high line, constantly pressuring the Orange defense. In the third minute, Schupansky found Mertz for a bouncing header which Vanderbosch corralled. A minute later, Samiah Phiri produced a searching ball from the left wing which Schupansky connected with but Vanderbosch dealt with the effort comfortably.
Despite, Vanderbosch’s early heroics, however, the deadlock between both sides was broken in the 15th minute. Amanda West danced past SU’s Grace Gillard and sped into the box. Though Zoe Van de Cloot managed to clear the danger, possession fell to Ellie Coffield. Controlling the ball with her right knee 24 yards out, Coffield launched an unexpected strike which found the top left corner. Vanderbosch had no chance.
Down 1-0, Syracuse continued to struggle with the Panthers’ press. In the 20th minute, the Orange gave away a penalty but Vanderbosch thwarted Ashton Gordon’s attempt from the penalty spot. Guessing correctly, SU’s keeper dove to her right to palm the ball away. She finished with a game-high 11 saves.
It didn’t take long for Pitt to find its second. In the 24th minute, Schupansky wriggled free on the right wing and delivered a threatening cross into the box. Her pass fell perfectly on the head of an unmarked Phiri as Gillard and Grant looked on helplessly. Phiri nodded the ball into the bottom left corner, just out of Vanderbosch’s reach.
Across every aspect on the field, Syracuse was overmatched. It constantly lost possession in risky positions due to a lack of physicality. It consistently lost 50-50 balls, allowing Pittsburgh easy access to SU’s defensive third.
Gliding down the right wing after receiving a throw-in pass, Keera Melenhorst neared the endline but lifted a weak ball toward West. Jostling for position with SU’s Anna Rupert, West extended her right leg to reach Melenhorst’s cross. The ensuing shot glanced off of Vanderbosch’s left leg and clipped the left post before ending up in the bottom of the net, giving Pittsburgh a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Following a nightmarish first half, the Orange conceded its fourth just a minute into the second. Marked closely by Ashley Rauch, Schupansky unexpectedly fired a shot from the left edge of the box. Her strike sailed through the air but dipped at the last second to nestle into the bottom right of Vanderbosch’s net.
Mertz’s strike dug a five-score hole for the Orange and West secured her brace to make it six just four minutes later. Though SU registered its first shot of the second half during the prior possession, Pittsburgh embarked on a swift counterattack immediately afterward.
Running to her right, West drew Murphy as her immediate defender. Continuing to take a couple dribbles toward the wing, West suddenly executed a quick swivel to turn Murphy and find open ground. West ventured forward for a few more paces then unleashed a left-footed shot which looped over Vanderbosch.
Pittsburgh outshot SU 32-5 in the Orange’s largest loss of the season. The last time Syracuse allowed six goals in a game was Aug. 21 of last year when it suffered a 6-0 defeat to Connecticut.
