Bench depth drives SU women’s soccer to blowout victory over Binghamton
The SU women’s soccer season is young, but head coach Phil Wheddon might already have his deepest team yet at Syracuse. And on Sunday, the Orange was able to show what kind of difference a deep bench makes in a close game.
‘It shows when a lot of different people score goals,’ Wheddon said. ‘In training, it makes our jobs difficult as coaches. And that’s what we ask the players to do, is make our jobs difficult. So that’s why we’re trying to get as many people as much time as possible.’
After a tightly played and scoreless first half, a second unit helped propel the Orange offense to a 4-0 victory over Binghamton. That unit consisted of Kayla Afonso, Taylor Chamberlain, Brielle Heitman, Brittany Kinmond and Patricia Lind. The four goals are the most the Orange has scored in a game since its season opener in 2004, when SU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 4-0.
In the first half, Syracuse (3-3-2) struggled to create shot opportunities while Binghamton (2-4) played a defensive game, resulting in just six combined shots for the two teams. After halftime, the game opened up when senior Megan Bellingham and sophomore Brielle Heitman re-entered the game in the 65th minute.
Chamberlain connected with Bellingham on a corner kick for the first goal. Junior defender Casey Ramirez found Heitman off of a rebound from a cross. And Rosina Callisto linked up with Heitman on a second corner, giving the Orange three quick scores in a 15-minute span. Syracuse had already blown ahead 3-0 when Lind finished the scoring with her first career goal in the 88th minute. What was once an offensive struggle was now an overwhelming team victory.
Syracuse had Binghamton looking like Fairleigh Dickinson.
‘I think we just pressed up and put more pressure on them,’ Ramirez said. ‘Our forwards were doing more movement than in the first half, so we were trying to play off each other and get some shots off.’
Syracuse outshot Binghamton 16-3, including a 12-1 advantage in the second half. Heitman, who scored two goals on Sunday for the second time this season, was relieved to see her team’s shot margin start to pay off at the end of games.
‘In the beginning of the season we were getting frustrated and outshooting teams, but not having any results on the scoreboard,’ Heitman said. ‘I think it’s nice to finally get those results that make the difference.’
A Central Michigan transfer in her first year with the Orange, Heitman is in the middle of an improved bench consisting of mostly freshmen and sophomores. For the second time this season on Sunday, Heitman came into the game late for SU and helped spark a win at home.
‘Right place, right time,’ Wheddon said. ‘Some people would say it was a great substitution. She’s very, very good. She is very calm and collected in front of goal. She’s been doing great for us.’
Marjory Elwell, a senior defender and member of SU’s second unit, did not get into the game Sunday. Still, she recognized and appreciated the role of her fellow reserves with regards to SU’s overall success.
‘We have a lot of outside backs right now,’ Elwell said. ‘On one level, it’s frustrating because, obviously, it cuts into playing time. But on another level, it’s definitely a positive thing because it encourages competition and it brings a lot of options, which is always a good thing.’
Wheddon said those options have come with SU’s growing ability to work cohesively.
The cohesion is told through the percentages. And, of course, the numbers and depth.
‘If we’re all 1 percent better, collectively we’re 25, 26 percent better,’ Wheddon said. ‘We’ve really challenged them to step up their games a bit, and they’ve responded magnificently.’
