2 3rd quarter goals help No. 10 Syracuse fend off No. 16 Penn State
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Charlotte de Vries dribbled toward Penn State territory at the 11:56 mark of the third quarter. With three defenders on her right entering the scoring circle, de Vries found space and fired a back-handed missile to the bottom right corner of the goal. The shot sped past Penn State goalie Brie Barraco and into the net.
De Vries’ score was a part of a two-goal period that put No. 10 Syracuse (7-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) in front for good against No. 16 Penn State (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten Conference). SU’s victory was its first ranked win of the season. The Orange were on target with 10 of their 13 shots on goal.
The Nittany Lions started hot. Just 32 seconds into the game, Carly Gannon tallied her first of three shots on the day, which SU goalkeeper Brooke Borzymowski deflected away.
As both offenses stalled for the next seven minutes, Syracuse created its first penalty corner eight minutes into the opening quarter. Cato Schreinemacher passed the ball in, setting up the shot for Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, but her strike went wide.
Over the next two minutes, Syracuse continued to attack. Hattie Madden and Amber Coebergh each whistled shots on target but Barraco was there both times.
The second quarter provided more of the same action. Penn State began aggressively, firing three shots in the first three minutes. Sophia Gladieux belted two of the three shots, missing wide of the net on the first while Borzymowski saved her second. Gannon sailed one over the bar.
After a goalless first half, Syracuse opened up the scoring with just over three minutes gone in the third quarter. Madden dribbled down the left side and sent a cross past three defenders to Pieke van de Pas. Van de Pas controlled the ball to her right and flicked the ball to the lower right of the net, past the foot of Barraco. The score was van de Pas’ eighth of the season, tying her for the team lead with van den Nieuwenhof.
Less than a minute later, Penn State set up its first penalty corner of the contest. Mackenzie Allessie passed the ball in for Gery Schnarrs who saw her shot blocked by SU’s backline.
Continuing its pressure on the offensive end, Gladieuex received possession in the middle of the circle before dancing past three Syracuse defenders. She unleashed a shot which found the top right corner to equalize.
Three minutes later, Syracuse responded. In the 41st minute, de Vries found an opening to give the Orange a 2-1 lead. Her game-winning goal was a long time coming. Just under two minutes prior, Willemijn Boogert and van de Pas had both their attempts palmed away by Barraco.
In the fourth, Penn State created two penalty corners in the first three minutes and five in total. But Syracuse’s defense held strong to deny shots from Gladiuex and Julienne van Bekkum.
SU capitalized when it could put shots on goal, accurately firing all four of its third quarter shots on target. Its precision, led by two third quarter scores, propelled SU to a 2-1 comeback.
