No. 13 Syracuse clinches 1st ranked win since Sept. 29, defeats No. 8 Louisville 4-1
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Pieke van de Pas lined up a shot, suddenly finding a yard of space inside the arc against Louisville’s reeling defense. While she had options to pass or progress closer to the goal van de Pas fired, with power and precision, into the top right corner, extending Syracuse’s lead to three in the 33rd minute.
The matchup between No. 13 SU (10-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) and No. 8 Louisville (12-4, 2-3 ACC) pitted the league’s top offense against its top defense. And though the Orange haven’t managed a ranked win since Sept. 29, they dominated the Cardinals, in the tune of a commanding 4-1 scoreline.
The Syracuse offense was active from the opening whistle. Willemijn Boogert and Eefke van den Nieuwenhof each rifled two threatening shots toward goal. Boogert’s effort hit the post while van den Nieuwenhof’s attempt snuck just shy of the target.
SU’s early pressure paid off just five minutes into the first quarter. Midfielder Lieke Leeggangers did well to win possession just outside of the arc and the move was later finished off by Hattie Madden who knocked the ball past Louisville goalkeeper Merlijn van der Vegt. Leeggangers’ name didn’t appear on the scoresheet, as she was not credited with an assist, but it was she who created the goal.
The Orange continued to dominate for the remainder of the quarter and looked in control. Their momentum bled into the second. Charlotte de Vries piped a slapshot, searching for SU to double its lead, but van der Vegt executed a kick save to keep the game at 1-0.
Offensively, frustration began to grow for Louisville who couldn’t seem to find a way in behind Syracuse’s orderly midfield. There were moments when they began to lose discipline and a yellow card issued to forward Rylie Wollerton stood at the peak of the Cardinals’ unraveling. Several attempted passes into the midfield were rushed and went astray.
Syracuse’s third penalty corner of the game was a result of one of Louisville’s errant passes. Van de Pas’ unsuccessful try at goal was cleaned up by freshman Cato Schreinemacher for her third of the season. The goal was given despite a lengthy video review on the play. Louisville failed to record a shot throughout the entire first half. At 2-0 down, the hosts had no response.
Van de Pas propelled SU to a 3-0 advantage just three minutes into the second half. From just outside the arc, she blasted a ball past a helpless van der Vegt and into the top right corner. A few possessions afterward, van de Pas netted again, securing a brace along with Syracuse’s fourth of the afternoon.
Van de Pas’ goal came off of another penalty corner. Her score doubled Louisville’s season-high number of goals conceded.
Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Louisville finally recorded its first shot. Senior Aimee Plumb fired high above the target. Her team’s frustrating night offensively continued deep into the final minutes, and even when they were able to produce some chances, they still struggled to get the ball on target.
Syracuse’s freshman goalkeeper, Abby Neitch, who was making her first ACC start faced two shots on target until the Cardinals scored with eight minutes remaining. It came from a Julie Kouijzer penalty corner. Neitch made an impressive kick save a few minutes later, however, followed by a routine save off of a corner.
From start to finish, Syracuse put together, arguably, its best performance. The Orange played fluid, aggressive and as a unit. With only one game remaining before the beginning of the postseason, the win comes at the right time and bodes well heading into ACC tournament play.
