Syracuse upsets Liberty in penalty stroke-off for 1st NCAA Tournament win since 2023
Despite losing a 2-1 lead with 42 seconds left in regulation, Syracuse defeated Liberty on Friday for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2023. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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Coming into Friday’s NCAA Tournament First Round clash with No. 6 Liberty, Syracuse was 6-14 in games against top-10 opponents under head coach Lynn Farquhar. SU has collected numerous non-conference wins in her tenure, but has struggled when it’s mattered most.
One of those six wins came against then-No. 7 Liberty in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Despite trailing 1-0 late, Lieke Leeggangers’ equalizer and Charlotte de Fries’ game-winner gave the Orange a thrilling overtime victory — Farquhar’s only tournament win.
On Friday, No. 10 Syracuse had a chance to do two things: earn its first signature win under Farquhar in two years and continue its high-stakes success over the Flames.
It did both in a thriller that eerily resembled 2023. Syracuse (13-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast) snuck past Liberty 3-2 in penalty strokes (17-3, 7-0 Big East), as Aubrey Turner’s goal proved to be the clincher. Behind superb goaltending efforts from Jessie Eiselin and goals from Bo van Kempen and Hattie Madden, Syracuse advanced to the Quarterfinals, where it’ll take on No. 3 Princeton Sunday.
“I’m really proud of our group. There was resilience. There was grit,” Farquhar said. “It was a true team effort today.”
In their ACC Tournament Semifinal loss to then-No. 4 Virginia on Nov. 6, the Orange found themselves in an early hole. Catalina Quintero’s shot got through Eiselin in net, giving the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead. It was a far different story from SU’s previous game against then-No. 6 Wake Forest, when Turner gave it a first-period advantage and set the game’s tone.
Unlike both those games, the first quarter on Friday was uneventful. Both teams became more aggressive toward the end of the period, but couldn’t get anything in net.
But minutes into the second period, Syracuse had its first penalty corner following a Flames’ high stick. Pati Strunk, who entered Friday with a nation-leading 21 assists, tried to feed van Kempen but the shot was kicked away.
Due to another LU penalty, however, SU got another chance. The result was a tale as old as time: A Strunk insert followed by a van Kempen goal, her team-leading 22nd of the season.
With perfect velocity and craft, she rifled one through Diane Saint Martin to give the Orange an early 1-0 advantage. Van Kempen’s 22nd goal tied her with Yvonne Milionis for the second-most goals in a season in team history, behind just Shannon Taylor (31).
“We love to earn corners. (Van Kempen) is a threat at the top of the circle,” Farquhar said. “She knows how important it is to marry those opportunities, and she does it.”
Yet nine minutes later, Liberty was able to erase Syracuse’s momentum. On Liberty’s fifth penalty corner, LU’s Kyleigh Faust knotted the game at one before halftime. Josefina Tomasi’s shot was initially deflected off Eiselin’s pads before Faust punched the deflection into the net.
Syracuse’s start to the third quarter looked like it was bound for another second-half collapse, after it squandered early leads against then-No. 20 Wake Forest on Sept. 19, then-No. 3 UVA on Sept. 21 and then-No. 2 North Carolina on Oct. 17.
Aggressiveness turned to passiveness. SU became lackadaisical and sloppy. It committed turnover after turnover and penalty after penalty.
After van Kempen kicked the ball, the Flames had a penalty stroke. As momentum shifted toward Liberty, it seemed Dara Semmartin was destined to convert.
Yet Eiselin had other plans. She saved the game, both literally and figuratively. Going up to her left, she read the ball as it bounced off the left pole and her pad.
Eiselin’s save was a major momentum booster for SU. It quickly raced down the field in transition after Liberty’s subsequent penalty corner was deflected. Madden stormed into Flames territory, watched Saint Martin fall down and rifled one into the net. Just like that, Syracuse was 15 minutes from moving on.
Syracuse began the fourth frame playing passively. Rather than showing increased aggression, it kept the ball in its own territory and made short passes with hesitancy to push up the field.
They committed six penalties in the period, headlined by a yellow card on van Kempen that kept her out until overtime. But SU was still just 42 seconds from advancing to the Quarterfinals.
Until it wasn’t.
After multiple errant shots on Liberty’s penalty corner, Tomasi tapped in the game-tying goal following a reverse cross. It sent the already-chaotic game into overtime.
Syracuse’s passivity continued in both overtime periods. Although it had a few solid chances near the goal, it couldn’t capitalize on any opportunity, and for the second straight contest, SU was headed to a penalty stroke-off.
Unlike last Thursday, when the Orange fell behind Virginia 2-0 in the shootout and couldn’t respond, Danique Schuurman and Bo Madden’s goals put them ahead early Friday.
Up 3-2, just needing a goal to clinch the victory, Turner spun around a Flames defender and stroked the ball into the net.
Ballgame.
It wasn’t always easy. Syracuse was far from perfect against the Flames. But on a day when its top-three goal scorers and goalie stepped up, SU prevailed.
“We’re excited to play hockey again,” Farquhar said of the win.
