A worst case scenario start to league play for Syracuse women’s soccer, but the season is far from over
By: Timmy Weiss | @TimmyWeiss3
Syracuse women’s soccer is 0-4 to start ACC play after it was 6-1-1 to start the season. During that time the Orange have also lost by a combined score of 11-2. Things may look pretty rough right now, but despite what the numbers of late say, it’s not all bad.
After Syracuse started its conference slate with two games against solid ACC opponents, SMU and Virginia Tech, the team was off to a slow 0-2 start. However, in both of those matchups the takeaway was that Cuse was competing with good teams. Its next test was a different beast. Syracuse squared off against the reigning national champions then No 2 Florida State in Tallahassee. Unfortunately, this test proved too big as the Orange suffered a 5-1 loss. Except the team showed a positive sign as they created a number of good chances against a Seminoles team who had only allowed 1 goal all year before that matchup. Defensive errors that hadn’t plagued the team earlier in the season made the difference. But after playing a team of that level it was time for adjustments.
After three games on the road to start league play, the Cuse were finally back at SU Soccer Stadium last Sunday with another huge battle against then No 8 North Carolina. Once the game started, the team played with a completely different aura than any other game they had in ACC play. The Orange were everywhere on the field, getting to loose balls, hustling back for tackles, and frustrating a legendary North Carolina program. When it hit halftime, the Orange were tied with the Tar Heels 0-0. At the start of the second half, Syracuse only looked better and at points had the run of play. But when everything was finally clicking, a VAR check granted UNC a penalty kick in the 65th minute, which gave them the lone goal of the day. After that, the life was sucked out of the Orange and the only other chances the team had was in the closing minutes of the game. In the end, the Cuse fell to the heavy favorites North Carolina 1-0.
That game proved a lot though. North Carolina is now the No 2 team in the country and Syracuse was unlucky to lose against them. If the team brings that play into it’s last 6 ACC games there is plenty of time left to turn a couple of L’s into draws or wins. Unfortunately the gauntlet of ACC play continues against No 5 Wake Forest on Sunday… then continues even more against No 3 Notre Dame and No 11 Pittsburgh in the next 2 games. Every scoreline matters for the RPI ranking, so if the Orange can just keep it close against these squads and manage a result out of just one of these games, that would go a long way. Then there’s a chance to do some damage against two teams with lower RPI’s in NC State and Miami. If that happens, that will bring it down to the last game of the season vs. Boston College for a chance to make the NCAA tournament. Currently Syracuse sits at RPI 81, so with 6 games remaining, the team needs to climb at least 17 spots to make the tournament. Every game only means more, so you won’t wanna miss this Sunday at SU Soccer Stadium against No 5 Wake Forest at 1:30.