Incorvaia’s Penalty Kick Gives Syracuse Women’s Soccer Win in Final Minute

By Jake Bowen | @Jake_Bowen12

Evanston, IL | After Syracuse women’s soccer (2-0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) and Northwestern (0-2, 0-0 Big Ten) battled for 89 minutes with no score, SU midfielder Abby Incorvaia’s game-winning penalty kick with 39 seconds remaining was the difference in the Orange’s win over the Wildcats on Thursday.

The sophomore’s chance came after a Northwestern foul by defender Olivia Elliot. Video review deemed that Syracuse midfielder Lauren Christy’s shot was deflected by the junior’s hands in the box. That gave Incorvaia, and the Orange offense, their lone opportunity to take advantage. It was Elliot’s first start as a Wildcat.

Throughout the match, the Orange could not break through on offense. Syracuse did not record a corner kick and had just seven shots, the fewest in a game this season.

On the other hand, SU’s defense and goalkeeper Maya Naimoli held an opponent scoreless for the second time in three games. Defenders Chloe Joseph, Jasmine Nixon and Bree Bridges played the full 90 minutes for the third straight match. Naimoli stopped two shots, bringing her regular season total up to eight saves on just one allowed goal.

Syracuse heads back home to continue its non-conference action against Princeton (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) this Sunday at 12 p.m. The Orange and Tigers battled to a 0-0 draw in New Jersey last year. Princeton took down Loyola University Maryland in a decisive 3-0 victory on Thursday. The Tigers outshot the Greyhounds 20-5 and tallied all six corner kicks in the match. 

For coverage of that game and the rest of the Syracuse Women’s Soccer season, follow @Jake_Bowen12 and @CitrusTVSports on X.