Vanderbosch’s 10 saves secure SU’s scoreless draw vs. Princeton
Shea Vanderbosch's heroics in net on Sunday helped the Orange escape 31 Princeton shots with a 0-0 draw. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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Shea Vanderbosch hadn’t seen the kind of attack most goalkeepers fear. A reinvigorated backline of Natalie Magnotta, Jasmine Nixon and Bree Bridges — all new to Syracuse’s 2025 roster — accustomed Vanderbosch to fielding fewer than 10 shots per game. Through SU’s first five contests, she posted two clean sheets and racked up 12 saves.
Alexandra Barry, a sophomore forward for Princeton, thrives on keeping goalkeepers on their toes. Despite a slow start to her second year, with just five total shots while the Tigers entered Sunday winless, Barry’s the engine of an offense that won the Ivy League in 2024 and is expected to contend for it again.
The Orange faced a serious threat of losing their second game: Vanderbosch was facing her toughest test yet, and Barry was looking to spark her season. Princeton showed no mercy. From the opening whistle, the Tigers pinned Magnotta, Nixon and Bridges deep. Syracuse couldn’t convert on its seven corners. Yet when the clock hit 90 minutes, the score remained deadlocked.
Despite a season-high 31 shots against, Vanderbosch and SU’s inviolable defense willed the Orange (3-1-2, 0-0-0 Atlantic Coast) to a 0-0 draw with the Tigers (0-2-2, 0-0-0 Ivy) on Sunday. Syracuse was outshot by 22, faced two offsides calls and put four shots on goal. But with Vanderbosch making a season-high 10 saves, SU avoided its second loss of the season.
The Orange weren’t just defending. From the outset, they probed Princeton’s defense and came close to striking first.
Just four minutes into Sunday’s contest, Syracuse was on the attacking end. Mia Klammer — who’s fueled SU’s offense with four goals and two assists so far — pinned a throw-in from the right flank into the goalie box. Gabby Wisbeck nearly snuck it past Princeton goalkeeper Cecilia Cerone, but she made a diving save.
The attack wasn’t over. Syracuse earned the game’s first two corner kicks just minutes after Cerone’s attempted clear, but it came up empty both times.
After eleven minutes of SU calling the shots, Princeton finally made a move. Kelsee Wozniak sent the Tigers’ first corner skimming toward Vanderbosch, but it zipped past her and straight to two Princeton players. No one was in net. A gentle tap would’ve put the Tigers ahead. Instead, Wozniak’s spin betrayed them; the ball bounced out.
That was the start of Syracuse’s unrelenting push.
With 26:17 to play in the first half, a header from Barry looked destined for the net, but Vanderbosch dove to her left and snagged it. Princeton had recorded five consecutive shots. Within a matter of minutes, SU’s offense had vanished.
After Wisbeck received a corner kick for the Orange that skipped past the net, the ball found its way back to Barry. Princeton held the corner, but Julia Arbelaez, positioned on the goalline, rescued Vanderbosch by clearing it.
At halftime, it had been all Tigers, but the score remained deadlocked. Princeton controlled possession for 61% of the first half, spending 73% of that time in its attacking third. Meanwhile, the Orange were in their attacking third just 49% of the time.
Barry was relentless, firing seven shots by halftime, driving Princeton’s total to 17. Syracuse hadn’t allowed more than 10 shots in a game before Sunday.
When the second half started, the blows kept coming. Rauch — who had four goals and three assists entering Sunday — went down just over a minute into play. Three minutes later, she laid on the field again, visibly limping thereafter.
As Rauch remained in the game, Nixon, Bridges and Magnotta were tasked with shadowing Barry in the second half. With Princeton’s star forward shut down, SU’s opportunities reopened.
Minutes after Rauch’s injury, Caroline Kane cleared one of SU’s shot attempts. The ball landed in Klammer’s lap, kickstarting one of the Orange’s prime scoring opportunities. Yet with just Kane ahead, Klammer fed Maya McDermott, who was called offside.
McDermott’s mistake became one of SU’s final chances. The Tigers didn’t let up, though. Nina Cantor — the No. 4 recruit from Pennsylvania — shot toward the near post after an in-and-out fake. She almost caught Vanderbosch lacking, but the goalkeeper made a sprawling save.
With 13 minutes remaining, Syracuse looked to finally get on the board. Vita Naihin, who hadn’t played more than 31 minutes in her last two games — was in position to do so. But she rifled a shot that struck the top of the crossbar and fell, leaving her standing in excitement. But Cerone corralled the ball, and as Naihin processed what had happened, the game pressed on.
Vanderbosch continued to make saves as the clock wound down, finishing with her season-high 10. As time ticked away, it seemed all hope was lost. But the tie in a game dominated by Princeton was a small victory for the Orange.
It was a game Syracuse could’ve lost, a test that exposed every weakness. Yet Vanderbosch’s heroics and the Orange’s defense preserved the draw, leaving SU with just one loss on the season.
