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Erin Flurey dribbled up to the right side of the goal box before delivering a cross all the way to the center of play. The ball tipped off a Hokies defender and bounced in front of Ashley Rauch, who ran up to it in the middle of the second half.

Rauch realized she had a split-second opportunity as Virginia Tech goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove was stuck at the right side of the net, still trying to react to what happened. Rauch wasted no time and kicked the ball in midair as it bounced up to her. The shot wasn’t clean and the ball tumbled forward slowly. Hargrove saved it at the center of the net.

Syracuse (8-7-2, 1-6-2 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t capitalize on its offensive chances during its 2-0 loss to Virginia Tech (10-5-2, 4-4-1 ACC). This was the second game of its weekend road trip after falling to Pitt 2-0 on Thursday. Both teams came into the afternoon on a cold streak as the Orange went 0-3-2 in their last five games, and the Hokies were 0-3-1 in their last four games. Although the Orange’s defense stepped up throughout the game, they missed on 11 shots and earned 10 corner kicks.

These missed chances were apparent in the opening minutes of the game. Chelsea Domond weaved through Hokie defenders towards the left of Virginia Tech’s zone, finding Blue Ellis wide open at the top of the box. But Ellis got confused and couldn’t trap the ball, letting it roll past her.

The Orange relied on Domond and Pauline Machtens to create opportunities on offense. Domond and Machtens each got off three shots on Sunday with Domond putting two on target and Machtens with one.

Trainers looked at Domond for an injury after she planted her foot awkwardly in the 14th minute. But she quickly came back in the game and continued to put pressure on the Virginia Tech defense.

Just minutes after returning to the game, Domond sped in front of the defense. She saw an opening and dribbled into the goal box before she slid down for a shot. But Hargrove was able to quickly get down on her knees and save it.

The Orange’s defense allowed very few chances for Virginia Tech throughout the first half. Syracuse didn’t give up a shot on goal until the 40th minute, when Vanderbosch made a miraculous save, falling to her left and putting a palm on a ball. But just like Thursday, the team made a crucial mistake with just minutes left in the first half.

In the 43rd minute, Hokies’ forward Allie George received a pass at midfield before sprinting up the left sideline. Emma Klein caught up to George and made a slide tackle that forced a corner on the left side.

Gabby Johnson sent the ensuing corner into the middle of the goal box. As it got closer to the net, a cluster of players from both teams jumped up just feet away from the goal. Vanderbosch decided to challenge those defenders, but the ball curled around her and went in near the right post. Johnson scored unassisted from the corner set piece to put her team up 1-0 going into the half.

The game picked up pace after halftime as both squads combined for six shots on goal and 16 shots total in the second half. Syracuse continued to play hard defense and stop quality shots.

In the first few minutes of the half, forward Taylor Bryan split two Orange defenders. She passed to Sophie Maltese, who was open in the middle of the goal box. Before she could make any move, Grace Gillard and Kate Murphy closed in on Maltese and prevented a potentially dangerous shot.

In the 61st minute, George barreled ahead to reach a lead pass at the top of the goal box. Vanderbosch came up to get to the ball before George, and the two collided hard. George fell to the ground and play stopped for a few moments.

The referee showed Vanderbosch a red card and head coach Nicky Adams subbed in senior goalkeeper Michaela Walsh.

Walsh filled in nicely for Vanderbosch. On a corner for Virginia Tech, the Hokies sent a low pass to midfield before giving the ball to Lauren Gogal on the right side of the goal box. Gogal took a high shot to the top left corner of the net, which Walsh leaped up and stopped.

With 10 players on the field, Syracuse continued to press Virginia Tech’s defense. Towards the end of the half, Domond dribbled deep into the Hokies zone. She faced contact on her right side but stayed strong and the defender fell to her side. Then, another Hokie challenged her as she ran up to the goal box. Domond quickly shot at the right post and Hargrove reacted fast for a save.

The Hokies tacked on a second goal in the 88th minute off another corner. The set piece landed on the top of the goal box before Gogal could field another pass in the middle. Similar to the shot Walsh saved earlier, Gogal turned around to her left and sent the ball to the top left corner of the goal. This time, she found the back of the net and extended the lead to 2-0.

Published on October 23, 2022 at 6:09 pm

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu