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Syracuse was on the ropes against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes dominated possession in the fourth period, largely keeping the Orange’s offense in check while threatening to score on every trip down the field. That momentum carried over into double overtime, where Ohio State forced save after save from SU’s freshman goalkeeper Tane King.

As Ohio State was on the brink of a win, Bo van Kempen lifted a high-arching pass from past the halfway line over the top of the Buckeye defense.

Hattie Madden waited outside the circle as van Kempen passed to her. With only Ohio State goalkeeper Maddie Stevens to beat, Madden dribbled inside and fired the game-winner high into the goal to give the Orange the win.

On Sunday afternoon, Madden’s game-winner lifted No. 11 Syracuse (4-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) over No. 13 Ohio State (2-2, 0-0 Big 10) in a 2-1 double overtime win. It was the second straight win for the Orange over a top 20 opponent, just days after their 2-0 shutout of No. 16 Rutgers. Syracuse’s defense buckled against Ohio State’s offense, allowing 10 penalty corners, but stood strong when it mattered most behind a strong performance from King.

“This group as a team, for them to come through, I’m really proud of them,” SU head coach Lynn Farquhar said. “In overtime, when you have them execute things we’ve worked on, you couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”

In a matchup featuring two of the top-scoring offenses in the country, it was a relatively quiet first period. Both Syracuse and Ohio State dug in defensively.

The two sides traded possessions as both offenses looked for a breakthrough. Lieke Leeggangers’ early shot missed wide while Madden’s breakthrough down the left side of the pitch was snuffed out.

Syracuse was stronger to begin the second period. Madden turned a one-on-one opportunity against Stevens into the first penalty corner of the game for the Orange. On the insert, Pati Strunk left it for van Kempen, who fired just wide, hitting the post.

It led to another corner for the Orange, with Madden forcing a save from Stevens. Ohio State, on the back foot as Syracuse’s offense began to grow into the game, narrowly stopped another attacking threat from Madden as she flipped a pass across the goal that couldn’t find a teammate.

With more confidence, Syracuse earned another penalty corner shortly after, as van Kempen had a shot deflected over the bar. The Orange retained possession to end the half but couldn’t find the opener, as the two sides went into halftime still tied 0-0. The Orange held Ohio State to zero shots in the first half.

Syracuse opened the third period with a bang, taking a 1-0 lead less than a minute in. Aubrey Turner dribbled through the Buckeye defense for an unassisted solo goal to finally give the Orange the breakthrough.

Trailing for the first time all game, Ohio State’s offense responded by earning its first penalty corner just seconds later. Madden jumped early, forcing Syracuse to defend a player down, but the Orange were able to stop the attack.

The Buckeyes quickly earned another penalty corner, forcing a save from King. She then made two more crucial saves as Ohio State’s attack kept the pressure on, kicking away a shot before lunging to her right to preserve Syracuse’s lead.

SU’s defense finally buckled on another corner for the Buckeyes, as Katie Fichtner’s powerful shot was turned into the back of the goal on a wicked deflection. With the two sides tied 1-1, the final three minutes of the third period kept the Orange in their own half as Ohio State looked for the go-ahead goal.

The Buckeyes continued their onslaught at the start of the fourth period, led by Makenna Webster. She dribbled through Syracuse’s defense to earn another corner. Ohio State scored off the insert, but the goal was ruled out after Fichtner’s backswing shot hit the netting of the goal instead of the bottom, making it an illegal shot.

The Buckeyes earned another penalty corner, their eighth of the day, but King came out of the goal to make the stop. Still keeping the Orange in their own half, Ohio State earned yet another corner, but Syracuse’s defense stood strong.

“We needed to get on the ball,” Farquhar said. “That’s where you control the game, and sometimes it’s just having that breath and understanding that we’ve seen this, we’re prepared for this, so trust in each other.”

After allowing Ohio State’s offense to dominate the second half, Syracuse’s first chance of the fourth quarter came on a penalty corner of its own. Strunk inserted the ball to van Kempen, who had two shots smothered by the Buckeye defense.

With the intensity picking up, Ohio State’s Zella Bailey earned a green card for a bad tackle, giving Syracuse a temporary advantage before Liz Stange earned a green card of her own to wipe it out. Neither side could score before the end of regulation.

In the first overtime, the Buckeyes started with possession. They tested King just minutes in and forced a penalty corner, and Ohio State’s Anne Marie Krebs missed high on the insert.

Syracuse’s offense responded with another run from Madden down the left side, who crossed it across the face of the net and missed. It was the final big chance for either side.

King was tested again in the second overtime, rolling over to her right to stop a shot from Webster. Webster’s next attack was blocked by Bo Madden, continuing her strong defensive play in the extra periods to keep Syracuse alive.

“(King) had some great saves. She was in the zone, so it was hers for the taking in overtime. I’m proud of both of them, Jesse and Tane both had some big saves today,” Farquhar said. “Bo Madden, especially in OT, did a tremendous amount of off-ball defensive work to shut down one of their key goal scorers.”

As Syracuse’s defense came up with another stop, the offense earned a penalty corner. Lana Hamilton’s shot for the Orange was saved by Stevens, with Ohio State threatening to counter.

With the Buckeyes building up play offensively, Syracuse came up with one final defensive stop, pushing the ball out of play to set up van Kempen past the halfway line. The defender’s high pass broke through Ohio State’s defense and was tapped down by Hattie Madden, who calmly slotted it past Stevens inside the circle for the game-winner.

“That shot was beautiful,” Farquhar said. “She’s been taking them from the strikes in the top of the circle. The other weekend, (Hattie) had a hat trick, so she shows up, and she’s communicating on the pitch.”

Published on September 7, 2025 at 6:42 pm
Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu