WSOC : Ramirez’s overtime goal catapults Orange to vital victory over Seton Hall
Casey Ramirez stood in front of the Seton Hall goal as the clock ticked away in overtime.
Then, Ramirez’s chance came. The ball ricocheted off players from both teams, then landed at her foot. Syracuse’s freshman midfielder poked the ball in the back of net and was instantly mobbed by her teammates.
Ramirez’s second goal of the season in the 106th minute elevated the Orange to a 2-1 victory over Seton Hall Friday night, its first win in six games. The win over the Pirates (5-9-2, 1-1-1) proved crucial to Syracuse’s chances of making the Big East Tournament.
‘We needed to feel what its like to win again,’ senior forward Amanda Arcuri said. ‘We know we can do it again and go in with some confidence. It’s definitely a momentum builder.’
The pressure that had built up on the Orange (5-9-2, 2-6-1) during the past six games (it had been outscored 16-1 in that span) was broken when redshirt freshman Kaitlin Robbins scored in the 29th minute of the game to give SU a 1-0 lead. Junior midfielder Chelsea Berry dribbled along the right side and laid the ball off to Robbins, who knocked the ball in the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
‘I knew it was crucial, and I knew it had to go in,’ said Robbins. ‘I think it turned our team around.’
Syracuse had not scored a goal at home since its last win on Sept. 25 against Pittsburgh. Wheddon, who had been standing on the sidelines the whole game, took a moment to sit down after the goal. The Orange seemed to find a comfort level, displaying more confidence and aggressiveness. SU committed 16 total fouls compared to the Pirates’ four.
Syracuse once again fell into the habit of missing open opportunities. The Orange kept the ball on the Pirates side a majority of the first half, with nine shots compared to two for Seton Hall.
‘When we look back over the season,’ Wheddon said, ‘the number of chances we’ve had over the course of the season is outrageous to the number of goals we’ve scored. We should have scored a lot more goals.’
After Seton Hall forward Katie Andreski scored in the 77th minute, the Orange was determined to keep in check and not fall apart as in previous games. Wheddon yelled from the bench for the team to focus and calm down. Arcuri said the team was anxious going into overtime.
‘We were a little frantic and chaotic coming out into overtime,’ Arcuri said. ‘Our emotions were taking over, and we knew we needed to win this, so we really had to settle down and play our game.’
Wheddon stressed composure as the team entered overtime, referencing SU’s lack of compactness after an opponent goal in the previous five losses. The Orange settled down, its desperation finally paying off after the goal from Ramirez. It was only the fifth multi-goal game of the season for the Orange.
Wheddon said the win would lift the Orange’s spirits and give the team more drive for the final games of the regular season. Syracuse will need to win its final two games next weekend at Connecticut and Providence in order to secure a spot in the tournament.
‘It’s an exciting way to win,’ Wheddon said. ‘I feel very pleased for the players that they get some sort of reward for the work they’ve put in this season, and I hope now we can capitalize on this and it gives us a little bit of emotional edge.’
