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Louisville’s attack eventually broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. The Cardinals had been knocking on the door of Syracuse’s backline consistently and SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch couldn’t stop Betsy Huckaby’s screamer which found the top right corner of Syracuse’s net.

On the left flank, Fiona Gaiser entered the 18 yard box, drawing attention away from Huckaby who stood unmarked on the lip of the box. Gaiser passed and Huckaby hit the ball first-time to give Louisville a 1-0 lead.

As it has throughout the majority of the 2023 campaign, Syracuse (2-10-2, 0-5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) struggled mightily in second half during its 2-1 loss to Louisville (3-7-4, 2-3-1 ACC). Against No. 17 Wake Forest on Thursday, the Orange held a 2-0 lead at halftime, but relinquished its command in the latter 45 minutes to settle for a 2-2 tie. After conceding two second half goals to the Cardinals, Syracuse extended its winless streak to 10 straight.

Although Syracuse and Louisville entered halftime tied, the Orange were outplayed throughout the first half.

The Cardinals started aggressively, keeping possession deep in SU’s defensive half. In the third minute, the Cardinals generated their first corner of the game. Then, in the fourth, Emerson Jennings created a threatening chance.

After creating separation, Jennings ripped a strong shot toward the goal, but it clanged off the left post. Though she narrowly missed an opportunity to give Louisville an early lead, the shot set the tone for the Cardinal’s attacking mindset for the remainder of the game.

Louisville continued applying pressure throughout the half. It tallied eight shots with three on target, but it couldn’t find the back of the net. A key reason why Louisville couldn’t capitalize was its undisciplined play. Throughout the game’s first 45 minutes, the Cardinals committed nine penalties and were called offsides four times.

Even with Louisville’s volatile moves forward, the Orange weren’t able to capitalize when Louisville gifted it the ball. SU registered four shots in the first half, but none were on target.

The Orange’s only real threat of the half came when Hannah Pilley received a corner in the center of the box. But after taking a touch to free up space, she skied the effort around the 15-minute mark.

Despite being able to hold Louisville to a 0-0 tie after the first half, the Cardinals found the mark just 10 minutes into the second. Huckaby’s 55th minute opener came after a slew of dominant Cardinal possessions where they strung together three shots and five corner kicks.

After getting the lead, Louisville kept its foot on the gas. The Cardinals’ sixth corner kick of the second half arrived near the penalty spot but was deflected backwards near the outside of the box. Jennings got to the ball first.

She watched it bounce once before connecting on a half-volley. Jennings’ effort whistled past the Syracuse defense and flew into the top right corner, just as Huckaby did two minutes earlier. Vanderbosch was left frozen in goal.

In the 73rd minute, Anna Rupert scored her second goal of the season. Receiving possession on the right flank, Rupert lost a defender after cutting inside to her left. She looked up quickly before firing a shot past the fingertips of Louisville’s Erynn Floyd to cut the Cardinals’ lead in half. But, the Orange were unable to net an equalizer.

Syracuse didn’t attempt another shot following Rupert’s goal. Just like the first half, SU’s offense stayed mostly dormant in the second. The Orange were outshot 16-1 by the Cardinals as they continued to stay winless in ACC play.

Published on October 8, 2023 at 4:26 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon