No. 13 Syracuse stays ‘composed’ in 2nd straight win

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Boston College opened up in the same formation that Hofstra did just a few games prior against Syracuse. The Eagles placed the majority of their players around the ball handler, forcing Syracuse to make longer passes through tighter spaces.

The Orange earned multiple penalty corners. Charlotte De Vries realized that the space after her “reverse” was open after she missed in the third quarter. Less than two minutes into the fourth, De Vries stuck to her reverse and scored.

In No. 13 Syracuse’s (9-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) 3-0 win over No. 16 Boston College (5-5, 2-1 ACC), the Orange scored three times in the fourth quarter. Syracuse notched 17 shots while Boston College tallied just two on the day. The Orange also earned four penalty corners to the Eagles’ one.

“I think we were super composed, didn’t jump too fast at the ball. Our outlets were phenomenal, we didn’t force, we just played around,” De Vries said.

As the first quarter progressed, Syracuse began to break down BC’s defense bit by bit, working the ball toward the offensive end. The Orange did this by passing the ball quickly and working it down the field. Syracuse racked up three shots in the first quarter and one penalty corner in the latter minutes of the quarter.

Syracuse eventually worked the ball into the 15-meter circle and earned a number of opportunities to shoot on goal. In the fourth quarter, De Vries finally broke the goalless game and slotted the ball past Boston College goaltender Emily Gillespie.

Syracuse’s passing was up and down throughout the first quarter. The passing was crisp at times and Syracuse broke through the Boston College defense, creating odd-man rushes or breakaway chances. At other times, Syracuse made key passing errors on the defensive end, leading to offensive opportunities for Boston College.

The key to Syracuse’s offensive success was turning defense into offense quickly. Getting the ball from one player to another gave Syracuse its offensive chances. Specifically, Quirine Comans led the charge throughout the first half against the Eagles defensive setup.

This individual effort gave Syracuse numerous entrances into the offensive zone, putting pressure on the Boston College defense. Ultimately though, Syracuse couldn’t find its way through the Eagles’ defense throughout the first half.

“We started passing the ball up front a little bit and we changed a little bit that we could get different entry angles,” head coach Ange Bradley said. “Those adjustments allowed us to get the field opened up a little bit more.”

Syracuse earned a pair of penalty corners midway through the third quarter. Both were unsuccessful, though it gave Syracuse some viable opportunities to score. But the third quarter matched the tone of the rest of the game before De Vries found the back of the net on a penalty corner.

Syracuse then added another goal shortly after as Joy Haarman placed a perfect shot into the lower left corner of the goal. Syracuse added a third goal by Willemijn Boogert 56 minutes into the game, giving Syracuse a 3-0 lead.

“I think it’s a really good confidence builder for us, and to end the month 9-2 is really good. We’re starting a new month at 0-0,” Bradley said.