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Entering its final match of the 2024 season, Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams kept the message to her team simple: they needed to find a way to score more goals. Before Thursday night, the Orange averaged 1.18 goals per game, second-to-last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Just under two minutes into the contest, Adams got her wish. In their final collegiate game together, Kate Murphy passed the ball through the midfield to Erin Flurey, who sliced through Boston College’s backline. With open space, she beat goalkeeper Wiebke Willebrandt with a bottom-corner strike to put the Orange up 1-0.

Still, Syracuse (6-10-2, 0-9-1 ACC) fell to Boston College (12-5-2, 4-4-2 ACC) 3-1 to conclude its season and end conference play with no wins. The Orange started strong, but it was their final goal of the season. After the Eagles scored three consecutive goals, SU couldn’t drum up a response despite outshooting BC 25-18.

The Eagles quickly responded with a goal from one of their top scorers, Aislin Streicek, following Flurey’s score. Instead of tightly pressing Emily Sapienza at the top of the box, SU’s backline held back, allowing her to find Streicek open at the top of the 6-yard box for the easy tip-in.

After BC brought the game even, Syracuse’s backline calmed down and found its form.

As Boston College looked to create chances in the final third, Syracuse’s defenders did a good job forcing BC’s attackers to the outside after being burned earlier in the middle of the box. This made it difficult for the Eagles to draw corner kicks, which have been a strength of theirs all season. Boston College entered Thursday’s match with the 13th-most corner kicks per in the nation.

Despite Syracuse’s best efforts, Sapienza and Streicek continued to create chances around its box, using quick ball movement and passing that put the Orange backline on skates. As a result, the Eagles broke through in the 30th minute. Baylor Goldthwaite raced toward the front of the net with two SU defenders around her before notching her first career goal off a cross from Paige Peltier on the left flank to make it 2-1 BC.

With five minutes left in the half, the Orange rattled off two opportunities close to the box. Ashley Rauch nearly pulled the Orange even with a shot on the left side, but her bid was tipped away by Willebrandt’s diving save. On the ensuing corner, Maya McDermott was mere inches from capitalizing with a header at the right side of the wide-open goal but missed.

At the half, SU held an 11-10 shots advantage, marking the first time this season it outshot an ACC foe in the opening frame. The Orange continued to pressure the Eagles at the start of the second, led by a few quick shot attempts from Flurey.

Following blocked corners by both teams, SU was almost given a penalty kick off a handball penalty by the Eagles, but after review the call was overturned. The call was a tough break for the Orange, as Flurey — who had scored on both her chances this season when called upon — had been set to take the ensuing penalty kick.

All game, the Eagles’ top attackers had been working hard to open up shooting lanes in the offensive end of the pitch, but were often shut down by solid positioning around the box by SU’s backline. However, in the 75th minute, Ella Richards found herself all alone at the top of the box.

With daylight in front of her, she fired the ball into the top left corner of the net with a perfectly placed strike, leaving SU goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch stunned as SU’s deficit grew to 3-1.

For the remainder of the contest, the Orange continued to work the ball down low in the offensive zone, looking for corners in front. Murphy and Flurey desperately looked to make one last memory with their team, but Boston College’s backline continued to hold its ground by blocking all shot attempts.

Despite outshooting its opponent 14-8 and earning five corners in the second half, SU was once again held back in conference play by its inability to finish chances. With a few final stops by Willebrandt, the Eagles held on for the victory as the final whistle sounded on SU’s winless season in ACC play.

Published on October 31, 2024 at 10:31 pm

Contact Matthew: mgray06@syr.edu