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Knotted at two with 30 seconds left against Penn State, SU’s Pati Strunk zipped a pass across the field intended for teammate Lana Hamilton. After an initial deflection, Hamilton stood with her stick out on the right side of the net, ready to cash in and give the Orange a thrilling comeback victory.

Hamilton timed the tip-in shot perfectly, as she slotted the ball into the back of the net. A horde of orange jerseys sprinted onto the field in jubilation 20 seconds later. The finish was similar to Syracuse’s wins over then-No. 11 Princeton on Sept. 12 and then-No. 13 Ohio State on Sept. 7, where it also won near or at the buzzer.

On a weekend full of celebration with Alyssa Manley’s jersey retirement and a close win over No. 7 Duke on Friday, the Orange capped it off in fitting style.

Hamilton’s goal propelled No. 6 Syracuse (8-2, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) to an exhilarating 3-2 victory over No. 20 Penn State (5-4, 1-1 Big Ten). While the Orange trailed 1-0 and 2-1 at different points in the second half, Hattie Madden’s and Hamilton’s heroics, along with solid defense, paved the way for a comeback win.

“We told ourselves we can control the game if we wanted to,” Madden said. “We spoke to each other, we connected and said ‘We could do this,’ and we did it.”

In its losses to then-No. 20 Wake Forest and then-No. 3 Virginia last weekend, Syracuse was outshot a combined 25-19. Especially against the Demon Deacons, turnovers and penalties hindered the Orange from generating quality scoring chances.

That changed early on against Penn State.

Five minutes in, SU was gifted a penalty stroke due to a PSU foul. Bo van Kempen timed the shot well, but a diving save by Penn State goalie Aby Deverka kept the score 0-0. It was a surprising result considering van Kempen’s offensive prowess this season.

Still, the Orange controlled the time of possession battle early on, and in turn, produced solid shots on goal. Ally Snyder’s first-quarter shot was a bit wide, but it wasn’t far off from getting SU on the board first.

Due to a Nittany Lions foot foul, Syracuse had another penalty corner opportunity at the 7:45 mark. van Kempen’s initial shot was blocked, but a second foot foul gave the Orange another chance to strike first.

Deverka continued to have van Kempen’s number after another save. Syracuse’s first quarter wasn’t short of shots, as it tallied eight to PSU’s one, but that disparity wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard.

The Nittany Lions looked for an early offensive spark as Natalie Freeman zoomed into SU territory on a fast break. But despite Freeman’s aggression, her shot was blocked, resulting in an empty possession.

The defensive battle didn’t last long into the second quarter.

PSU’s Morgan McMenamin took control of the ball in transition, racing downfield before coming to a stop. She rifled behind SU goalie Jessie Eiselin to put the Nittany Lions up 1-0.

After an eventful first period, Penn State stymied Syracuse’s attack in the second period, allowing just one shot, the least in a quarter all game.

Penn State swarmed the Orange’s offense anytime it moved into scoring position. Syracuse played a passive brand of hockey in the period, a stark contrast to its aggressiveness in the first frame.

Syracuse reverted back to its aggressive ways to start the third. Aubrey Turner weaved into Penn State territory, approaching the 25-yard line before firing a shot saved by Deverka.

Deverka and PSU’s defense continued to hold its ground. On the ensuing Syracuse possession, which resulted in a penalty corner, Anouk Knuvers tipped away Strunk’s shot attempt.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t add any insurance goals. Anytime their attack inched close to breaking through, SU intercepted its pass and marched the other way.

With under two minutes left in the third, Turner led an antsy SU attack down the field. In search of her first goal since Sept. 7, she slowly dribbled down the left side before winding up for a shot.

Turner’s shot ricocheted off the goalpost, and SU still trailed 1-0 after three.

Syracuse’s start to the fourth period was reminiscent of its loss to Wake Forest: turnover after turnover.

“We weren’t as clean as we wanted to be, so we had to clean things up,” SU head coach Lynn Farquhar said.

Yet despite the turnovers, SU’s sloppiness wouldn’t matter if it converted on a penalty corner with 11:22 to go.

It did. Henni Nation’s clean insertion led to van Kempen finding an open Madden up top after a deflection. Madden fired the shot through the outstretched arms of Deverka to tie the game at one.

Penn State responded relentlessly on a penalty corner. Syracuse blocked its first shot, but a foot foul gave it another chance. Madden rejected Joji Purdy’s shot. Despite a third chance, SU’s defense held steady.

Until Purdy tapped one in. Off a deflection, her slow dribbler found the back of the net, and the Nittany Lions regained the lead with under six minutes left. The game was on a similar path to SU’s losses to the Demon Deacons and Cavaliers.

The clock ticked down. Syracuse was on the verge of falling for the third time in four games.

Then came a miraculous last 90 seconds.

It began with the Orange’s ninth penalty corner of the afternoon. Following Strunk’s insertion, Hamilton found van Kempen in an unusual spot: to the left side of the net. While she’s normally lined up in front of the goal to perfect her penalty corner prowess, her location on the field didn’t matter.

She tied the score, before Hamilton provided the J.S. Coyne Stadium crowd with an uber-exciting finish.

It was far from easy. Penn State’s defense made life difficult for SU’s attack all afternoon. But in the end, Syracuse’s veterans pulled through for a signature win.

“They said they like to make it exciting; I don’t know if we need to make it that exciting,” Farquhar said. “I feel like I aged quite a bit there on the sideline.”

Published on September 28, 2025 at 4:34 pm
sabrod@syr.edu