Missed offensive opportunities haunt the Orange in loss to No. 3 Virginia
Syracuse struggled offensively on Sunday against Virginia, failing to convert 13 shots. The woes set it back and prevented it from moving to 7-1 on the year. Lindsay Baloun | Contributing Photographer
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With Syracuse and Virginia tied 1-1 late in the third period, the Orange were searching for an offensive response.
After SU shut out the Cavaliers in the first half, not allowing a single shot, Virginia outshot the Orange 7-4 in the third period, putting five shots on goal. With Syracuse’s defense on the ropes, Virginia finally broke through at the end of the period as the Cavaliers’ Frederique Vernooij.
The Orange immediately countered, moving the ball downfield while looking to restore their lead and avoid a second-half collapse.
The response never came.
No. 4 Syracuse’s (6-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) offensive struggles were too much to overcome in its 2-1 loss to No. 3 Virginia (6-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) Sunday. SU only produced one goal off of 13 shots, nine of which came on goal. It was the second straight loss for the Orange after suffering their first defeat of the season on Friday to No. 20 Wake Forest.
“We dominated stats,” SU head coach Lynn Farquhar said postgame. “What do stats tell you, though? It’s the finishing moments. We can do it. We have it. We’ve got to put together.”
Syracuse’s loss to Virginia on Sunday played out the same as its loss to Wake Forest, where the Orange struggled to finish their offensive opportunities down the stretch. Pati Strunk’s first goal of the season gave SU an early 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, the highlight of a dream start for Syracuse after outshooting the Cavaliers 8-0 in the first half.
The Orange struggled to replicate that same offensive success coming out of the break. They couldn’t match Virginia’s quick counters and fast possession as the Cavaliers settled into the game. Struggling to find offensive momentum, it placed more pressure on Syracuse’s defense and goalkeeper Tane King, who had two saves in the third period and four overall.
With Virginia pushing for its first goal, the Cavaliers scored on their second penalty corner attempt, just the second goal King had allowed all season.
Syracuse’s offense was more inspired to finish the third quarter after Virginia equalized. Bo van Kempen forced a save from Cavaliers goalkeeper Nilou Lempers just seconds after Virginia scored, and the Orange had a decent look at goal a minute later when Aubrey Turner’s shot off a penalty corner went wide.
Still, it wasn’t enough. Syracuse’s best chance of the fourth quarter came when Taylor Bigbie’s long-range shot forced a save from Lempers, but the ball rolled harmlessly across the front of the net as the Orange failed to capitalize on Bigbie’s run into the circle.
It was that kind of day for Syracuse, which gave up a penalty stroke with a minute left to all but seal its fate. Once Virginia’s Mia Abello scored to give the Cavaliers a 2-1 lead, all they had to do was run out the clock.
“You put your best foot forward,” Farquhar said. “It’s a process, and we need to figure out how to get one more on the board.”
Including Syracuse’s 2-1 loss to Wake Forest, the Orange have scored just two goals over their last two games, a far cry from the 30 goals they scored over their first six games. SU’s leading goal scorer, van Kempen, has scored on only one of her last seven shot attempts (14%). Entering ACC play, the graduate student had converted nearly 50% of her shot attempts.
As a team, SU’s efficiency hasn’t been much better over its last two games. Strunk’s early goal was the only breakthrough Syracuse had across 13 shot attempts against Virginia as the Cavaliers held the Orange to a 7% shot conversion rate.
On Friday, Wake Forest held Syracuse to one goal on six shot attempts, meaning the Orange have scored on just 10.5% of their shots over the last two games.
“We’ll go back, look at the film, write some things down,” Farquhar said. “We’re working on our variety, on how we can attack, and we’re in the process.”
While Syracuse has struggled to score recently, the Orange have generated quality looks, with signs that SU’s dry spell could be more temporary than a sign of things to come. Syracuse tested Lempers early and often in the loss, forcing the Virginia goalkeeper to make eight saves, a season-high.
The Orange found plenty of open space against the Cavaliers’ defense in the first half, as Lempers denied an early one-on-one chance against Hattie Madden five minutes into the first period. Of Lempers’ eight saves, five came in the first half, but the Orange still kept her honest in the second.
Midway through the third period, Ally Snyder dribbled through Virginia’s defense into the circle, forcing a last-ditch effort from Virginia’s backline to snuff out the attack. Syracuse had plenty of missed chances that could’ve swung the contest in its favor, but it’ll hope the breakthrough comes on Friday against No. 7 Duke as the Orange search for a sustainable offensive identity.
“There’s a ton to build on,” Farquhar said. “This is good for us. No one wants to lose, right? I get that. However, if it makes us better, then we’re going to take it.”
