No. 8 Syracuse gets revenge on No. 7 Princeton in NCAA Tournament win

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Eefke van den Nieuwenhof ripped a shot on goal, looking to give Syracuse momentum going into halftime. Princeton blocked her shot, but Lana Hamilton alertly controlled the rebound and slotted the ball past the Tigers’ goalie to tie the game 2-2 as the first half buzzer sounded.

The score foreshadowed the rest of the game as the Orange’s offense tallied three unanswered goals in the second half. In No. 8 Syracuse’s (16-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast) 5-2 win over No. 7 Princeton (13-5, 7-0 Ivy League), all 10 of SU’s shots were on target, its most accurate display of the season. The win advances Syracuse to the Elite Eight, where it will face No. 3 Maryland on Nov. 13.

Syracuse’s offense dominated time of possession early in the first quarter but only got off one shot. Princeton stole an SU pass and took advantage immediately, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Claire Donovan received a pass from Grace Schulze and slotted the ball past Orange goalkeeper Brooke Borzymowski to give the Tigers an early advantage.

Syracuse’s Charlotte de Vries knotted up the game 1-1 with five minutes to play in the first. The senior carried the ball into the offensive zone and cracked a nifty backhanded shot past Princeton goalie Robyn Thompson, who could only watch the ball fly on by.

The Orange defense kept the Tigers from gaining any further offensive momentum through the first 15 minutes. Midfielders Lieke Leeggangers, Willemijn Boogert, and Joy Haarman stole passes away from Princeton to keep the game tied.

SU once again controlled the possession to start the second quarter. Quirine Comans lined a shot on goal that Thompson kicked away to her teammate. With 10 minutes left in the second, Princeton received its second penalty corner but couldn’t convert.

Syracuse got its first penalty corner opportunity with four minutes left in the first half. With SJ Quigley at insertion, van den Nieuwenhof received a pass, dribbled around a defender, and cracked a shot that Thompson deflected out of bounds.

Princeton quickly took the ball down the field and earned back-to-back penalty corners. Beth Yeager had her first two shots deflected by SU’s defense. The Tigers finally broke through on their third chance, as Schulze got a rebound and smashed the ball past Borzymowski. Princeton went ahead 2-1 with three minutes left in the second quarter.

De Vries put the Orange in front 3-2 just two and a half minutes into the third quarter. The forward received a pass from Suus Heijnekamp and quickly shot the ball past Thompson for her second goal of the match. The score was de Vries’ 40th in a Syracuse uniform, putting her in a three-way tie for sixth in program history.

Princeton made a push late in the third quarter after a green card was issued to SU’s Boogert. With the Orange a man down, Quigley stepped in front of a Tigers pass and got the ball to van den Nieuwenhof, who controlled possession for the remainder of the third.

Princeton opened the fourth quarter with its fifth penalty corner. Syracuse’s defense blocked a shot from Yeager, and the ball trickled out of bounds to the Orange. A few minutes later, Schulze launched a ball at Borzymowski, who alertly swatted the ball away with her left hand.

With nine minutes left in the game, Comans broke free from a Princeton defender and earned a penalty stroke for SU after getting hit by Thompson. Van den Nieuwenhof took the shot and lined the ball past the left side of the Tigers goalie, giving Syracuse a 4-2 lead.

Princeton pulled its goalie with six minutes to play, desperately trying to score. The Tigers earned a penalty corner with five minutes left but fumbled a pass leading to a turnover. The Orange delivered the knockout blow in transition when Sabine van den Eijnden scored an empty-net goal on a pass from Comans to give them a 5-2 lead.