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Bo van Kempen’s been historic, inevitable and masterful. No other adjectives accurately encapsulate the graduate student’s torrid stretch to start 2025. From six goals against Lock Haven on Aug. 29 to her swarming defense last weekend against No. 18 Rutgers and No. 12 Ohio State, van Kempen’s impact has been felt.

But in a tightly-contested defensive battle on Friday afternoon, the graduate student had her signature moment. One that is a microcosm of her Syracuse career.

Granted a penalty goal due to a stroke from Princeton’s Ottilie Sykes, van Kempen fired one right past the arms of Tigers goalie Olivia Caponiti to give Syracuse the win.

Her game-winning goal gave No. 5 Syracuse (5-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) a thrilling, gritty 1-0 overtime victory over No. 11 Princeton (1-2, 0-0 Ivy) on Friday. Backed by crisp passing, suffocating defense and overtime heroics, the Orange put any doubts of whether they could compete with the cream of the crop in the country to bed.

“I’m really proud of the group for finding a way through,” SU head coach Lynn Farquhar said postgame. “It was a battle from both teams. I think our defensive unit really stepped up.”

Throughout the first few minutes, Syracuse controlled the time of possession battle. A series of crisp passes into Princeton territory looked as if it could’ve led to a scoring opportunity, but it resulted in a turnover.

On the ensuing play, Sykes gained control of the ball after another careless Syracuse turnover. Ball control has been the Orange’s forte through four games, but they struggled taking care of the puck early on, resulting in short and unsustained possessions despite leading the time of possession battle.

The Tigers began to generate solid chances midway through the first frame, but their attempt to split through two Syracuse defenders and cut through a scoring alley failed. Princeton had three quick touches within SU’s scoring circle but couldn’t execute.

Lack of execution for the Tigers quickly became a common theme throughout the match. Princeton’s five to seven-yard passes didn’t amount to any quality shots on goal, as the Orange’s swarming press gave the Tigers hardly any breathing room on offense.

But in the waning minutes of the first quarter, a stick interference on Bo Madden led to Princeton’s first corner of the day. Lilly Wojcik cleanly inserted for the Tigers, but Beth Yeager’s shot didn’t have enough juice to scoot past Syracuse goalie Jessie Eiselin.

SU surrendered a penalty corner goal in its last game against the Buckeyes, but its strong defensive unit didn’t allow that to happen again on Friday.

To begin the second quarter, van Kempen lofted a pass downfield, setting up the Orange’s frontline for a chance to cash in. Though Aubrey Turner’s shot was high, van Kempen’s passing accuracy and ability to sneak the ball in tight windows stood out on the possession. Her scoring ability has been the driving force in SU’s 5-0 start, while her playmaking and field vision have been outstanding.

“(Van Kempen) is the only person in our league right now that can go over a zone,” Farquhar said. “She can go in a zone as well and play around.”

In contrast to an ultra-aggressive Syracuse offense, the Tigers’ offensive unit was patient and overly passive at times. Though it didn’t score, its collectiveness led to limited turnovers in the first half.

Syracuse ended the half being selective when it chose to pressure the Tigers, a different approach from when it applied constant pressure to begin the match. Both tactics worked, however, and SU’s defense entered halftime unscathed.

After a dormant first 30 minutes, Princeton’s offense trotted downfield immediately in the third quarter. Its midfield displayed excellent poise on the move, and their stick work got them to striking distance.

But fittingly, nothing got beyond SU’s goalies.

On the other end, Sykes’ defense was tremendous all afternoon. When Syracuse weaved in and out of the crease down the Tigers’ left baseline, she instantly applied pressure on the Orange’s offense and stopped it from scoring.

Yet despite every Princeton stop, its offense couldn’t find a rhythm.

Simply put, the Tigers’ offense relied heavily on weak dribbles and long possessions without much substance. This wasn’t sustainable due to Syracuse’s fast-paced and disciplined defense that could force several turnovers.

With the third quarter winding down, the Tigers turned their intensity up multiple notches. Rather than dribbling, Wojcik fired a shot from outside the crease, which was a precursor to many aggressive plays by their offense for the remainder of the game.

Syracuse stormed down the field to begin the fourth quarter. Like a cheetah on the loose, its attack was in desperation mode to break the ice. But a key stop by Sykes, who was in a picture-perfect spot to make a play on the ball, shifted the momentum back to the Tigers temporarily.

The teams traded possessions over the last five minutes of regulation. It was rinse and repeat. Swarming defense. Little offense.

SU initially struggled to move the ball without lifting it from van Kempen early in overtime. Princeton’s Clem Houlden had Madden on skates, juking her out and zig zagging her way into the circle.

Nothing changed. Syracuse gained possession right back.

Following a lengthy review of a tackle by Sykes, van Kempen stood right in front of the net. Caponiti stood no chance. van Kempen ended it.

It wasn’t always pretty. But when it mattered most, Syracuse prevailed.

“I don’t think it was our prettiest game on ball,” Farquhar said. “We created some of our own challenges. But at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about, and the fact that we pulled together and showed up as a team when we needed to is most important.”

Published on September 12, 2025 at 9:28 pm
sabrod@syr.edu