Syracuse finally won an ACC match. Is it a one-off or a sign of things to come?
Syracuse won its first ACC match in over 1,000 days on Saturday. Our beat writer explores whether SU’s win over Miami was an aberration, or the precipice for an improved ACC season. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
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Mia Klammer made a beeline for Shea Vanderbosch as time expired at Miami’s Cobb Stadium. Syracuse’s all-time saves leader had her arms extended high in the air as the Orange’s top goal scorer and match winner embraced her.
Then came Natalie Magnotta, Ashley Rauch and Emma Klein. Suddenly, the whole team surrounded Klammer and Vanderbosch. The celebration of SU’s first Atlantic Coast Conference win in 1,112 days continued into a nearby Cold Stone Creamery, which had a line “out of the door” of Syracuse players still wearing their full kits.
“It was so nice not to feel upset and down. It was really awesome just to see everyone smiling, laughing, hugging each other and just that celebration,” Vanderbosch said.
Saturday was about getting over the line. It’d been too long. Vanderbosch said she felt more relief than excitement once the final whistle blew.
Behind its first clean sheet against a conference opponent since Oct. 29, 2020, and a well-taken goal from Klammer, SU finally won an ACC match. Yet, it remains unclear whether beating Miami 1-0 will be enough to change the narrative around Syracuse women’s soccer.
Vanderbosch couldn’t remember the last time Syracuse kept a clean sheet in ACC play. SU’s conference goal differential this season sat at minus-13 before Saturday.
However, Syracuse has slowly evolved. Seven players currently on the team were on SU’s 2022 squad that defeated Miami 3-1 — its last ACC victory and only the third in head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams’ seven-year tenure. Only Vanderbosch and Rauch have played more than 1,000 minutes across SU’s 15 games.
Bree Bridges, Jasmine Nixon and Magnotta have all recorded at least 1,240 minutes and started every game in their first seasons with the Orange. Vanderbosch is the only other player who’s done the same in 2025.
After playing in a variation of four-back formations in Adams’ tenure, a 3-5-2 formation offered steady protection and a bona fide way to start attacks in nonconference play. However, it quickly subsided in conference play.
“We weren’t connecting once we won the ball. We would rather go up and out and then have to defend again. When you have to defend a lot, you get tired and you get stretched,” Adams said after SU’s 4-0 loss to then-No. 7 Florida State on Sept. 14.
Three consecutive losses to then-No. 1 Virginia, California and then-No. 3 Stanford plummeted Syracuse to the bottom of the ACC once again. Instead of consistently playing out of the back, the Orange have opted to pass into the channels in transition more often. It might not be the prettiest version of soccer, but it can change games when effective.
It’s how Klammer found the back of the net against Clemson. Vanderbosch went long. Rupert flicked it on. Klammer finished it.
But Syracuse let it slip in the final minute, and it stung.
“Coming back from California, I wanted to see a lot of guts and perseverance. And I can say my girls played extremely hard for 90 minutes and left it out there,” Adams said after the 2-1 loss to the Tigers. “We had really good opportunities. We were dangerous and a lot of Clemson’s opportunities were from 30 out where it went over or Shea caught it. We were doing our job.”
Syracuse’s week-long preparation for Miami was geared toward combating the Hurricanes, who were also winless in conference play, but also toward how SU could flex its muscles.
After the last-minute loss to Clemson, Adams said she wanted her defense, especially her wingbacks, to close the space between SU’s midfield and defensive lines.
The Orange have done well limiting their opponents’ high-quality chances early in matches. They hadn’t conceded in the opening 35 minutes of a conference match in four of their six games entering Saturday.
But in each game, time passed. Syracuse’s defensive and midfield lines grew deeper. As a result, SU had to defend against a plethora of scoring chances because of how stretched its outfield players were. Eventually, the ball traveled past Vanderbosch and into the net. Bodies grew tired, and Syracuse’s attacking potency would sharply decline.
That wasn’t the case against Miami.
“We were connected and together. I think that was different from other games because we were defending a lot and that just tired us out super quick. We were actually able to attack,” Vanderbosch said.
The key for Syracuse was to sit deep and defend together when it needed to. Miami only had one shot on target. If it were to attack, it needed to be a fluid move. In the 77th minute, a miscued pass from Miami center back Lexi Lerwick eventually found the feet of Rauch. She laid it in front of Klammer, and broke the winless streak.
“That needs to be the standard every game,” Vanderbosch said.
Optimism is radiating through this team for the first time in a while. Beyond its winless run, it had been almost five years since Syracuse won an away ACC match. What’d usually be a quiet three-hour layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport turned into one where everyone was conversing.
It doesn’t excuse the fact Syracuse went over three seasons without winning a conference match. It might still finish in the bottom half of the conference with Boston College, No. 9 Duke and reigning national champion No. 23 North Carolina remaining on its schedule.
For the first time in three seasons, it’s in uncharted territory. There’s even a chance Syracuse can qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 if it gets above .500.
“These games are pretty much do or die for us. We need to win two more games to have a chance (to make) the tournament,” Vanderbosch said. “It’s firing everyone up because nobody wants your season to end in October. The goal is to obviously play until December.”
