Syracuse field hockey is heading back to New York undefeated at the start of the 2024 NCAA Division I season after taking down Penn State 2-1 in Happy Valley.
Orange, ranked No. 10, came into the contest on Sunday 1-0 after a 9-0 shutout at Lock Haven on Friday. The No. 16 Nittany Lions lost on Friday 2-1 to No. 3 Virginia.
The Cavaliers, ranked No. 1 in the ACC, are favored to outlast all other Atlantic Coast Conference teams this fall. Syracuse came in at No. 4 in the preseason coaches’ poll. Both teams were a great test for the Big10 Nittany Lions.
“Two really great teams and we competed with them, and I think moving on we saw progress,” Penn State Head Coach Lisa Bervinchak Love said.
Syracuse was able to read and anticipate passes quicker than State in the first. But, once the Nittany Lions had one goal against them, they began intercepting, too. Penn State had five shots to Syracuse’s three in that quarter.
The Nittany Lions, however, were first to earn a penalty corner 40 seconds into the game.
Nearly five minutes elapsed after it when Orange’s Lana Hamilton had a nice break into the circle to baseline, where she used a 3D move over a defender’s stick, and then she dumped a pass to stroke.
Penn State’s Morgan Snyder was there to stop the play, but also caused a foul, which led to a penalty corner for Cuse.
Taja Gans inserted the ball to Bo van Kempen, whose shot went wide of the cage. That play was followed up a moment later with Willemijn Boogert cutting off a pass just inside Syracuse’s offensive 50. She entered the circle and fired off a shot that freshman keeper Aby Deverka got a piece of before it hit the bottom left of the cage.
It was Boogert’s second goal of the season, and it gave Syracuse an early 1-0 lead.
The next two quarters, there was a lot of stick to stick passing and interceptions that forced most of the game to be played between the two 23s. Neither team was opening doors for the other to enter the circle, so they started to throw the ball. The aerials were traveling anywhere from 25 to 50 meters down the field.
Both goalies – Deverka for Penn State and Louise Pert for Syracuse – had one save each in the second and none in the third. Deverka’s save in the second was a slide tackle, which shows how confident the first-year student is by coming out of her cage and winning a one-on-one with an attack player.
Pert was also good under pressure. Penn State had the only penalty corner in the second. Julienne Van Bekkum sent the ball to Phia Gladieux, who passed to Ella Jennes, who attempted a shot, but the senior Orange keeper protected her house.
Midway through the fourth, Syracuse capitalized on a corner with a sweet sweep. Boogert sent the ball to Annabelle Vossenaar, who passed it to van Kempen. Her shot, without the back swing, sent the ball into the cage to give Cuse the 2-0 lead.
Gladieux, who recently participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics, showed off her perfected signature Tomahawk, which she makes look so easy. She got her five yards spinning her way into the circle, and then released her powerful backhand into the cage. It looked like an impossible shot for Pert to stop.
The goal was reviewed by Syracuse, but the officials confirmed the score. It was 2-1 with some time to spare, but the Orange had already done enough to take the win.
“I think we are right there,” Love said. “We are going to have our ebbs and flows, but I think we are dialed into our press.”
Syracuse will now head home for a three-game home stretch.
“We love playing at home,” Syracuse Head Coach Lynn Farquhar said. “[It’s] a special place, so we are always excited to do that.”
As for the Nittany Lions, they will continue to look for their first win as they have three consecutive games on the road.
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