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Syracuse was making its way into the right side of Siena College’s zone with a series of quick passes. In the ninth minute, Chelsea Domond chipped the ball right in front of Anna Rupert on the edge of the goal box. Siena goalkeeper Angela Fini came out to challenge her, but Rupert side stepped to her left and drilled the ball into the back of the net to give the Orange a 1-0 lead.

“It was a really great pass, so it was more of ‘let’s just make sure it goes in the goal.’” Rupert said. 

Both Rupert and Erin Flurey found success on offense for Syracuse (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) during a 2-0 win over Siena (0-3-1, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic) on Sunday. With her ninth-minute goal against the Saints, Rupert has two goals in her first four NCAA matches and is tied for first on the team in goals. She’s knotted up with Flurey, who also leads the Orange in shots, for most goals on the team. Flurey got off seven shots on Sunday alone, with three on goal. 

“She’s great on a dribble. She can play with her back to goals. She’s feisty. She can score goals,” head coach Nicky Adams said. 

Just a few minutes after her goal, Rupert jumped up for a pass from Blue Ellis. She got control of the ball and made a quick move to her right. But in a flash, a Siena defender stepped in and Fini quickly collapsed on the ball and took control.

Flurey began to press Siena’s defense from the moment Adams subbed her in during the 22nd minute. Further into the half, defenseman Alyssa Abramson gathered a Saints clear and sent the ball up to the midfield. After a sequence of short passes, Flurey received a pass from her right and took the ball to the left side of Siena’s zone. 

As she crossed into the goal box, Flurey took a hard shot at the top right corner, but Siena’s Grace George got in the way and the ball deflected out of bounds. Syracuse had nine shots blocked by defenders on Sunday, three of which were from Flurey.

Flurey continued to push up the middle of Siena’s zone. Shortly after her shot was blocked, the Saints snatched the ball from her as she approached the box. Just minutes later, Flurey took a pass from center up field and collided with Siena’s Lexi Bartlow and the Saints got possession. Adams said Flurey’s pressure in the middle of the Saints’ zone was key to creating opportunities on Sunday.

Right before halftime, Flurey emerged from a struggle just outside of Siena’s goal box and booted one high to the net. Fini threw herself to the upper right of the goal and tipped the ball out of bounds with both hands. 

In the 59th minute, Flurey took the ball up field in the Siena zone. She cut to the middle and faked out a defender as she entered the goal box. Flurey then sent a ball to the bottom right of the net. Fini leapt toward it and put a hand on the ball for a save.

Syracuse ended up scoring two minutes later via an Ellis header to extend the lead to 2-0. Flurey was taken out of the match in the 64th minute, putting in 42 minutes as a sub and finishing another aggressive performance on offense. But Flurey’s shots on goal percentage sits at just 36% this season, missing the net on 57% of her shots against the Saints. 

The opposite is true for Rupert, who has capitalized on much fewer opportunities. Two of the freshman’s three shots this season have found the back of the net. Rupert started and ended the match for the Orange, playing for 55 minutes in total.

“She’s just being an incredible sponge right now and absorbing, but the great thing is she’s really trying to do what she’s absorbing,” Adams said. “It’s not just me telling her. She’s really trying to get it done on the field.”

Rupert said it felt great to put two goals in for her team already, but she knows she couldn’t have done it by herself. 

“I’ve been really lucky,” Rupert said. “My teammates have been sending me really good balls, so I just finish them.” 

Published on August 28, 2022 at 6:14 pm

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu