STAFF: SU field hockey extends winning streak to 4 with pair of victories
The No.7 Syracuse field hockey team won both of its games in Louisville, Ky. this weekend, improving its record to 7-1. The Orange defeated No. 16 Louisville, 3-2, on Friday in its first Big East game of the season. Syracuse went on to beat Michigan on Saturday in overtime, 2-1.
Freshman back Amy Kee contributed heavily to the Orange campaign this weekend. She scored the tying goal against Louisville, and scored the game-winning goal in the final seconds of overtime to defeat Michigan. It was the second time this season that Kee scored the deciding goal. Junior Maggie Befort and sophomores Martina Loncarica and Heather Susek also scored goals this weekend.
The two SU rookie goalies played their first complete games for the Orange this weekend. Graduate student Ashleigh McGowan made four saves in the cage on Friday, while freshman LeAnn Stiver recorded four stops on Saturday.
Syracuse returns home on Saturday for the first of six straight games at J.S. Coyne Field, beginning with a Big East match-up against Providence at noon.
Women’s soccer
The Syracuse women’s soccer team was on the road over the weekend, playing games at St. John’s and St. Joseph’s. The Orange’s streak of consecutive shutouts came to an end with a 2-0 loss against St. John’s, followed by a 1-0 loss against St. Joseph’s.
The game-winning goal Friday night in New York City came in the 15th minute. The Syracuse defense had shut-out the opposition for more than 390 consecutive minutes before allowing the early goal. The Red Storm would add another score in the 42nd minute to secure its victory.
The squad lost, 1-0, Sunday at St. Joseph’s to finish 3-3-2 in non-conference play. The Hawks scored the deciding goal in the 80th minute on a shot that bounced off the goal post.
Syracuse out-shot its opponents, 11-7, in the loss. The Orange controlled play for much of the second half, but struggled to finish on its opportunities, including a corner kick in the final seconds.
The Orange looks to rebound Thursday with its home opener against Providence before a trip to Storrs, Conn., to play Connecticut on Sunday.
Cross country
The Syracuse men’s and women’s cross country teams cleaned up on Saturday, claiming the top overall spots at the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y.
Sophomore Griff Graves led the men, clocking an impressive time of 25:06. Sophomore Tito Medrano crossed the finish line one second behind Graves to capture second place. Senior Dan Busby and freshman Forrest Misenti rounded out the top-five finishers for the Orange, registering times of 25:12 and 25:15, respectively.
The women found success as well, led by a first-place finish from junior Rebekah MacKay in a time of 21:43. The Orange women captured eight of the first nine spots, with junior Katie Hursey (21:51) finishing in third and Maegan Krifchin (21:53) capturing fourth place.
The Navy men and women placed second, while host Colgate finished third in both the men’s and women’s races.
The Orange will look to continue its winning ways when the squads trek to Madison, Wis., to compete in the Wisconsin Inter-Regional on October 3.
Volleyball
The Syracuse volleyball team earned a third-place finish at the Southern Methodist Tournament in Dallas, Texas after beating William and Mary, 3-1, on Friday before losing to Southern Methodist and Texas State-San Marcos by identical 3-1 scores Sunday.
The Orange moves to 9-4 on the season following the weekend results.
SU senior middle blocker Sarah Morton was named to the All-Tournament team, her third-such honor of the season (Morton was named MVP of both the Big Orange and Rhode Island tournaments earlier this month). Morton, tops in the nation in blocks (77 total) through Sept. 20, led SU with 36 kills and 12 total blocks through the three matches.
SU opened its first set against William & Mary on a 7-0 run and maintained its lead for the entirety of the game, winning 25-14. The two teams split the second and third sets, before the Orange closed out the Tribe with a 25-15 fourth-set victory to take the match.
The Orange faced a tougher challenge against tournament host Southern Methodist, as the Mustangs scored the first six points of the match, cruising to a 25-16 victory in the first set and a 25-18 victory in the second set.
Syracuse surged back in the third set, cruising to a 25-19 victory, before SMU closed out the match, 3-1, with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.
Against Texas State, SU opened the fourth set trailing 14-22 before staging a comeback with an 8-1 run to pull within one, 22-23. But the Bobcats scored the last two points to take the set, 25-22 and the match.
Compiled by The Daily Orange sports staff
