Syracuse wins 1st ACC home game in 4 years with 2-1 victory over Pitt
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That old stopwatch came to a halt after 1,112 days, and a new one began.
Hour by hour, it crept to 348. And Nicky Thrasher Adams, carrying a 4-58-7 Atlantic Coast Conference record in her eight-year Syracuse tenure into Thursday, shot a dart at the moon.
“Come on,” she shrieked at her reserves, who were standing lifelessly on the sideline. “Get your families involved.”
Paint this picture. It’s a tied game with under five minutes left. It’s the gaffer’s best shot at doing the thing that’s stumped her since joining Syracuse. And she’s going to lean on a stadium pulse?
Yes, Adams did.
Seconds later, Adams perched on the sidelines next to Abby Incorvaia, who squeezed an immaculately placed free kick onto Anna Croyle’s head and into a gaping hole. There stood Farrah Stephens-Martin to boot a low bullet to deliver what seemed impossible.
Adams got two monkeys off her back Thursday. Foremost, Syracuse’s (4-5-2, 1-3-0 ACC) 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh (6-4-1, 0-3-0 ACC) was its first conference win since Oct. 11, 2025 and first home ACC win since 2022. After not scoring since Aug. 27, SU’s two goals were its most since Aug. 23. They came virtue of an early Incorvaia tap-in, after her mesmerizing score was called back, and Stephens-Martin’s second goal in Orange. Meanwhile, SU’s defense was stout, as goalie Maya Naimoli stopped a season-high eight shots.
The scoring drought was its own additional countdown of 28 days, so when asked what went well Thursday, Adams had one answer.
“We scored goals,” she said postgame. “It’s a lot of pressure on the girls. We just needed to find that goal.”
“Everyone’s been talking about how we haven’t scored all these games,” Stephens-Martin added. “Tonight proved we can score three goals in one game, even with one being taken back.”
Adams’ wish was granted in the quickest way all season. Just two of the Orange’s eight goals entering Thursday were in the first half, but none came in the first five minutes.
One hundred seconds into play, Jasmine Nixon released a lefty through ball that compressed through an array of SU and Pitt players into Incorvaia’s grasp.
On a one-on-one chance against Claire Jones, Incorvaia cut right, broke the defender’s ankles and booted the ball into the back of the net, thinking she snapped the goal drought.
The Video Assistant Referee deemed Incorvaia was offside. But not even two minutes later, Moo Galbus streaked down the left sideline and was stumped by goalie Elli Johnson. However, the ball rolled to the keeper’s left for Incorvaia to avenge herself and give the Orange their first lead since Aug. 23.
“Scoring in that first minute set the tone for the whole game,” Incorvaia said. “Even though they called it back, we went at it again. Same energy. Same mindset. We wanted to put the ball back in net.”
That urgency rang true even when SU led. The Orange had the game’s first six shots with three on goal alongside two early corner kicks after not recording one until the final 10 minutes Sunday against Virginia Tech.
From there, though, it looked like the Syracuse of old. The one that’s forced Naimoli to lead the ACC with 33 saves. The one that’s led her to an 82.5% save rate, third in the conference.
In the 20th minute, Lola Abraham sent a high bouncer that SU’s redshirt junior goalkeeper had to high-point. The Panthers went on a 13-2 shot run to end the first half, as the Orange squandered their shot lead, something they’ve never held onto in ACC play this year. Heck, Naimoli already tied her season-high saves mark in one half with five.
“Maya’s Maya,” Adams said. “She makes the saves she’s supposed to. She keeps it within her frame. You can always count on one or two big saves from Maya.”
The Orange took pride in starting and ending halves, which continued with Sarah Weisberg’s 30-yard shot outside the box that nearly curled in one minute into second-half play.
“Games are going to have ups and downs,” Stephens-Martin said. “We started strong. Our team just proved that.”
Syracuse had its chances, like when it nicked the crossbar in the 66th minute before the ball was lost in a clump. But it leaned so much on Naimoli when the Panthers’ offense steamed ahead that not even she could stop them.
The Orange seemed to have halted a 67th-minute Panthers corner kick, as Bree Bridges headed it outside the box. But it fell into Desiree Reed’s lap, and she lofted the ball over Naimoli to knot things at one.
SU tried everything. Incorvaia schooled three Pittsburgh defenders en route to a cross to Chloe Joseph that fell short in the final 10 minutes.
But then Adams yelled to her mute sideline.
“It was dead silent,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Come on, we’re (tied) 1-1 in an ACC game.”
As Abraham tripped up Croyle in the 87th minute, SU Soccer Stadium woke up. Incorvaia took a deep windup and flung the ball into the herded box for Stephens-Martin to punch in for a 2-1 lead.
The lead wasn’t safe, as the Panthers had two last-minute shots, and Naimoli toyed with Pittsburgh’s strikers while dribbling the ball outside of the box with 30 seconds remaining, which Adams said “scared the crap” out of her. But Naimoli dove on the final one and stayed.
To Adams, the “pressure’s off.” The Orange scored in an ACC game, let alone scoring at all. Syracuse won an ACC game, let alone winning at all. She’s never won multiple conference games in a season helming SU. But with Thursday’s new standard, something has to give.
“We had to get a result this week,” Stephens-Martin said. “It was a non-negotiable.”
