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Seven minutes and 18 seconds into Sunday’s match, forward Erin Flurey drew a foul after pushing too hard on her defender, setting up a free kick from the right side beyond the box. Connecticut’s shot flew chest high toward starting goalkeeper Micaela Walsh, who prepared to jump at it as a cohort of Syracuse and UCONN jerseys stormed the net. She managed to punch it out with both fists, not far enough that it made its way out of the penalty box, but far enough so that it eventually found Chelsea Domond on the left side.

Domond took off, the defense settled back into its formation and play continued. It took another 10 minutes and another Walsh save before Cara Jordan missed a shot on goal to the right and play stopped, allowing the SU trainer to jog out to Walsh, who crouched down. A UCONN player had collided with Walsh and had kneed her, causing an abdominal contusion. She left the game 17 minutes in, subbed out in favor of sophomore Sierra Giorgio.

“She was hurting, and she wanted to make sure she was 100% for the team,” head coach Nicky Adams said. “Didn’t feel like she was 100%, so she insisted we made the change.”

The Huskies, who returned all of their starters, blanked SU, a team with 19 freshmen and just five upperclassman starters — including Walsh. The Orange (1-1) didn’t swarm UCONN (1-1) on defense and hardly garnered any legitimate offensive chances, but the team also cycled through all three of its goalkeepers, beginning with the injury to Walsh. Then Giorgio did what she could following defensive breakdowns but conceded five goals within 20 minutes. Adams tapped freshman Shea Vanderbosch for the second half, but she allowed an extra goal late in the second period in the loss.

Three minutes after Giorgio subbed in, the Huskies’ Jessica Mazo collected a pass down toward the top of the box from Jada Konte on the left wing. Mazo quickly stopped and chipped the ball up toward the goal and over the formation of Syracuse defenders. The ball grazed the crossbar and snuck in behind Giorgio, who’d leaked too far off the net toward the play. Following a review, the referees confirmed that just enough of the ball had crossed the line, solidifying the first of three goals in a five-minute stretch.

“It wasn’t all Sierra’s fault,” Adams said. “We had a tough five-minute stretch where UCONN put three goals in five minutes. We got to be better in front of our net.”

While Adams said that the goalkeeper competition will be a “battle” throughout the season, Giorgio was out of place on numerous occasions. A few minutes following the first goal when Emma Zaccagnini fired a ball from the top of the box through the defense, Giorgio was not far enough to her left. Zaccagnini buried the ball in the corner of the net past an outstretched Giorgio. Adams said the defense did not play to their swarming mentality that they’ve had over the last game and exhibitions, but Giorgio still allowed an open net goal to bury the Orange 4-0.

She was also positioned poorly when Chioma Okafor brought down a 50-50 ball from midfield, far beyond SU’s Grace Gillard, who she easily sped by before stopping about 20 feet before the top of the box. Reading that the defense had collapsed, Giorgio raced out of net and toward Okafor, but she was easily juked out by the UCONN forward, who then calmly scooted a shot across the grass and into the empty net.

“The last two games, the number of blocked shots and bodies in front of the ball, we haven’t given that up,” Adams said. “A bit surprising that that happened today.”

Coming out of halftime, Adams opted to go with Vanderbosch, giving the freshman her first collegiate minutes. Giorgio had finished the half by allowing a fifth goal to UCONN after Cara Elmendorf’s corner kick found Abbey Jones, who whipped her head to the left, redirecting the ball past Giorgio during the 41st minute. Syracuse tightened up its defense, especially early on, driving attempts like Jayda Bedoya’s deep run on the right side far out of harm’s way, so Vanderbosch stood uncontested for the first half of her period.

Vanderbosch corralled two shots UCONN took, one directly into her chest and the other a one-hopper. But the freshman easily grabbed both with two hands, no serious threat of another goal. It wasn’t until the 70th minute when she fell victim to the same mistake that led to Giorgio watching from the sidelines.

Later on, with just under eight minutes remaining in a 6-0 game, she’d leap to her left at a long shot from Elmendorf heading just underneath the crossbar. Vanderbosch poked the ball up and over the net with her left hand, ensuring a seventh goal wouldn’t be scored.

“We got three really, really good goalkeepers and (an) opportunity to see all three of them,” Adams said. “But they all bring something really special to the team.”

But minutes before Vanderbosch watched Maddie Carroll work down the field, battling with Syracuse’s Aysia Cobb. Carroll finally broke through for enough space as she approached the top left corner of the box, readying herself for a shot. Meanwhile, Vanderbosch had crept out toward the one-on-one, eager to break it up if Cobb stumbled. Instead, Vanderbosch had eliminated all of the space she’d need to work with once Carroll wound up for a shot. 

Without time to set her feet, Carroll’s shot dribbled across the ground, curving just enough to the right for it to roll into the net. Vanderbosch could hardly redirect her momentum to leap for the off-balanced shot and watched from the ground as the Orange’s hole grew to 6-0.

“We as individuals just need to be sharper and hold each other accountable,” Adams said. “Nobody’s happy.”

Published on August 21, 2022 at 5:13 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt