Undisciplined attack holds No. 4 Syracuse back in 2-1 loss to Wake Forest
Despite controlling possession, Syracuse’s poor discipline led to a lack of scoring chances in its 2-1 loss to Wake Forest on Friday. Isaac Williams | Contributing Photographer
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Various factors contributed to No. 4 Syracuse’s 6-0 start. Bo van Kempen’s heroics, strong freshman production and Pati Strunk’s emergence propelled SU to its scorching beginning to 2025.
But arguably the most significant factor in the Orange’s undefeated start was outshooting their opponent through clean, turnover and penalty-free hockey. SU outshot its opposition by a staggering 106-33 margin in its first six games.
Against Lock Haven on Aug. 29, Syracuse outshot the Bald Eagles 39-1 in its historically-dominant 15-0 victory. Even in a closer 5-2 win over Fairfield two days later, the Orange still outshot the Stags 19-4.
Why did SU outshoot its opponent in those games? Limited turnovers and penalties.
But the trend didn’t continue on Friday afternoon. Syracuse’s undefeated start came to a grinding halt. Syracuse (6-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) narrowly fell to No. 20 Wake Forest (5-2, 1-0 ACC) 2-1 in overtime in its conference opener, in large part due to penalties, turnovers and other miscues. The Demon Deacons outshot SU 15-6 in the match.
“We had opportunities, but an opportunity doesn’t really mean much unless you go after it,” SU head coach Lynn Farquhar said. “I thought, unfortunately, that was the piece that was missing.”
Syracuse’s offensive aggressiveness was evident early in the first quarter. Minutes into the contest, Aiden Drabick found van Kempen in Wake Forest territory. van Kempen slowly dribbled into the shooting arc, but Demon Deacons goalie Ellie Todd saved her low-driven shot.
Even though she didn’t convert, it was an encouraging start in the first minutes of conference play. A smart pass by Drabick led to a decent opportunity for van Kempen, SU’s scoring anchor through six games.
But it was almost all sloppy from there. Turnovers. Penalties.
The Orange dominated the time of possession battle in the first quarter. SU’s stifling defense allowed it to charge upfield with authority after missed chances by Wake Forest, but Syracuse also committed numerous turnovers due to errant passes.
“The stats don’t match what we’d probably see possession-wise,” Farquhar said. “However, that’s the piece of the game that matters.”
In the waning minutes of the first frame, Aubrey Turner stormed upfield, gliding past Wake Forest defenders and into a scoring alley. Based on the team’s offensive prowess so far, it seemed as if the possession would at least end in a shot.
That was far from reality. Turner slid right into traffic, as a sea of Demon Deacon defenders ripped the ball from her stick and turned the other way.
SU outshot Wake Forest 2-1 in the quarter but squandered multiple promising possessions. Its first-quarter mistakes became a microcosm of the entire game.
Drabick began the second period by weaving her way through three Demon Deacon defenders and into their territory, but her overaggressiveness led to a misplaced pass.
The Orange looked undisciplined for the first time all year. As a result, Wake Forest had nine penalty corner opportunities to SU’s three. It didn’t harm Syracuse in the first half, but consistent foot fouls and obstruction calls gave the Demon Deacons several chances to cash in.
Just minutes into the third quarter, the aforementioned trend reared its ugly head. After a Syracuse turnover, Wake Forest drove into Syracuse’s shooting arc at will, where the Orange were called for stick obstruction.
While Mia Schoenbeck’s penalty was blocked, the sequence was emblematic of Syracuse’s ill-advised mistakes. The scoreboard would soon begin to reflect that.
Though van Kempen struck first to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead late in the third quarter, it couldn’t build momentum heading into a pivotal fourth frame. Once again, Turner dribbled through the midfield for a solid shot opportunity, but she couldn’t get a shot off as referees called her for stick obstruction.
Whenever Syracuse inched close to extending its lead, a penalty or turnover would stop its rally.
Forty seconds into the fourth quarter, the Demon Deacons evened things up. Although Schoenbeck’s initial penalty corner was deflected, an SU foot foul gifted her another chance. Schoenbeck capitalized on it.
After a lengthy stretch of little to no offense for the Orange in the fourth, they had a chance for another signature late-game goal. Would it be van Kempen? Hattie Madden? Turner?
None of the above. Instead, a crease violation was called on Syracuse, sending possession back the other way. The Orange didn’t get back into Wake Forest territory before the end of the period, and they headed to overtime for the third time in their last four games.
SU has consistently been able to play mistake-free hockey in overtime. In thrilling wins over then-No. 13 Ohio State and then-No. 11 Princeton, that rang true.
Yet, after another Syracuse foul a few minutes into overtime, Wake Forest had its eighth penalty corner of the game. Solid defense from Syracuse led to an initial deflection, but another foul gave the Demon Deacons another shot.
The result?
A horde of Demon Deacons sprinting onto the field with pure jubilation after Lauren Storey’s goal gave them the win.
No matter how potent an offense can be, it’s not going to win games without discipline. That ultimately doomed Syracuse in its loss to Wake Forest.
“This (season) is about growth,” Farquhar said after SU’s first loss. “There are only a few teams that go undefeated in any sport; it’s quite rare.”
