14 seconds derail Syracuse women’s soccer in 1-0 loss at Binghamton
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The average human takes two or three breaths. The Earth travels 260 miles in its orbit around the sun. When Apollo 13 astronauts’ power failed, their mid-course fuel burn ensured a flawless landing.
What do all these obscure scenarios have in common? They happened in 14 seconds.
It’s a small fragment of time, yet so much can happen in it. These increments occur at least 385 times in a 90-minute soccer match. All you need is one to go right.
It didn’t seem like Binghamton would do it. Syracuse was dominating the Bearcats with six shots to their two through one half. The ball was constantly in Binghamton’s attacking third, and everything that could go right for the Orange did. But when the Bearcats took their second-half opening kickoff the distance, SU was flabbergasted.
A Bree Bridges own goal just 14 seconds into second-half play off Megan Baker’s shot flipped momentum in Syracuse’s (3-2-2, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast) 1-0 loss to Binghamton (4-0-2, 0-0-0 America East). The Orange rode a dominant first half, but after the goal, SU failed to keep the ball in the attacking half with just two more shots on target. Everything was negated by a brief blip in time.
As SU’s players walked off the pitch, their heads were low. They stopped in their tracks and plunged their seeping faces into their parents’ chests. If not for the blunder from that microscopic moment in time, this game wouldn’t warrant such a reaction.
“It’s frustrating when (we) prepare one way, and we don’t execute it,” Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said postgame.
If the Orange prepared how they performed in the game’s other 5,386 seconds, Thrasher Adams wouldn’t have to cite it. That’s because SU had so many highs and nearly cracked the scoreboard.
The blame can’t even be all on Bridges, who’s been arguably Syracuse’s most reliable defender this season since switching to a 4-5-1 formation. On her mishap, SU’s left defensive side was walloped. The midfield and four-line defense were manipulated. It was far from the case earlier.
SU rarely gave up the ball. The Orange kept it deep into play with multiple early set pieces — two throw-ins and a corner kick around the 11th minute. Syracuse had an array of 14-second frames in the attacking third then, with Anna Croyle redirecting a Chloe Joseph pass with her head on goal. But none proved more consequential than the one that altered the game.
“It was just a willingness to put it away,” Thrasher Adams said of the Orange’s missing piece Thursday. “It’s not like we’re not getting chances. The fact that we’re not scoring on set pieces is concerning because we have the players that are continuously doing it in practice.”
It’s the same missed opportunities that haunted SU last week in a 2-1 defeat to Niagara. Jasmine Nixon made a similar blunder to Bridges to concede a goal. But there’s a unique twist.
Syracuse was clinging for dear life after the Purple Eagles scored a couple minutes into play, and their second goal was the dagger. On Thursday, the Orange were the better team in the first half and then abruptly slipped.
Compile every 14-second span from Thursday’s first half. Chances are, SU possessed the ball or was making a tactful clearance out the back. It led to plays like Vickie Jones’ back-to-back shots in the 37th and 39th minutes, sandwiched between a throw-in and two corner kicks.
But Thrasher Adams thought otherwise.
“Don’t even think the first half was great to be honest,” she said.
Thrasher Adams got upset with her team’s composure on both ends, even if it seemed fine.
“It’s disappointing to come out and get beat in a lot of categories we take pride in,” she added.
And so it happened. The Bearcats plowed through the Orange’s right side, and Baker flung the ball over SU goalie Maya Naimoli, who ended with three saves. But she didn’t stop the one Bridges nicked in.
The sophomore defender’s only option was to stop in her tracks. Her hands rose to her head. Bridges had 14 seconds to feel sorry for herself before the ensuing kickoff.
“We have to learn to have a gut check and figure out how to not let something like that ruin the rest of the game,” Thrasher Adams said. “To claw and fight back is important.”
Then came a myriad of 14-second spans for the Orange to redeem themselves. But they looked derailed. Julia Arbelaez laid a chest bump that yielded a yellow card, and SU’s offense faded. It created just three second-half shots to Binghamton’s five.
Syracuse was on its final limb. It had 14 seconds to wash the pain away. Naimoli unleashed a goal kick toward midfield. Bridges had 14 seconds to redeem herself.
On that possession, the ball rolled to her. The defender headed it to Binghamton, and it ran out the clock.
Bridges squatted. Her knees glued to her face.
It’s not all her fault. To Thrasher Adams, the blip in time is a wake-up call for everyone.
“The players have to dig deep and figure out how far they really, truly want to go,” she said.
