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Grace Gillard connected on a header so the Orange could reset after the Pittsburgh attack sent in a cross. But Gillard’s ball wasn’t completely cleared and landed right in front of Panther midfielder Bri Hilsenteger at the top of the box.

Hilsenteger immediately took a shot to the top right of the net for a goal. It was simply too close and too hard of a shot for SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch to react in time and Syracuse, who have yet to win a game when the opponent scores first, trailed 1-0 heading into halftime.

Syracuse (8-6-2, 1-4-2 Atlantic Coast) continued that trend in a 2-0 loss on the road to No. 21 Pittsburgh (12-3-1, 5-2-1 ACC). And with a Miami win over Boston College, it dropped to second to last in the ACC standings. The Orange are still looking for their first win in almost four weeks despite back-to-back ties to No. 8 Virginia and Clemson. While Vanderbosch recorded six saves in the second half along and had several athletic stops throughout the game, she still conceded an extra goal in the loss.

Through 44 minutes, both teams had combined for only one shot on goal. But Syracuse won the time of possession battle, controlling the ball for 62% of the half. The Orange showed this control of possession midway through the first half when the Jenna Tivnan headed out another Pitt cross after the Panthers. They regrouped and kept working in the Syracuse end until Kate Murphy booted a ball toward the center circle.

Despite the stops and possession, Hilsenteger’s goal opened up the offense for Pittsburgh, who had 12 shots in the second half. On the other end, the Orange struggled to get quality chances. Five minutes into the second half, Blue Ellis took the ball from center, speeding through defenders deep into the Pitt zone. But Panthers defenders shut off the middle of the field, so Ellis cut to her left and sent a tough angle shot that Pitt goalkeeper Caitlyn Lazzarini easily saved as she hugged the left goal post.

Erin Fluery had a similar play in the 68th minute as she dribbled the ball adjacent to the goal box. Flurey was guarded only by Athalie Palomo, who also made a move to the middle of the field, forcing Flurey to go to her right. Flurey initially got some separation, but Palomo caught up to her and kicked the ball out. The Orange ended up with three shots in the second half. Ashley Rauch and Chelsea Domond created some opportunities for the Orange. Rauch had two shots on goal and Domond got two shots off, one of which on target.

And with the missed opportunities on offense, the SU defense started to falter, forcing Vanderbosch to limit the damage. Early in the second half, Sarah Schupansky gave Landy Mertz a textbook lead pass from the center of the Orange zone to the right flank, splitting a couple defenders. Mertz dribbled into the goal box and delivered a shot with Murphy playing tight defense. With Mertz just yards in front of her, Vanderbosch reacted lightning fast and put a hand on the ball to force it out of bounds to the right of the goal.

In the 58th minute, Panthers’ midfielder Ellie Coffield was granted a set piece in the center right of the Syracuse zone. She used that opportunity to send a high ball to the middle of the goal box. Pitt’s Anna Bout found it and headed the ball to the top right of the goal. With a split second to react, Vanderbosch sprawled out and punched the ball over the crossbar.

As time wound down in the second half, the Orange got desperate to find an equalizer. After being stuffed at midfield in the 86th minute, Syracuse slowly went backwards, and the ball went to Vanderbosch for a clearance. But as Vanderbosch came out to receive the ball at the top right of the goal box, Schupansky intercepted the pass.

Vanderbosch immediately began running back to her position, but Schupansky kicked the ball high in the air before it softly dropped in towards the left post for a goal, deflating the Orange in the final four minutes.

Published on October 20, 2022 at 9:43 pm

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu