De Vries Comes Up Clutch as Syracuse Rallies against Vermont in OT

By Patrick Gunn- CitrusTV Field Hockey Reporter

BURLINGTON, Vt. – With last year’s leading scorer Roos Weers graduating, Syracuse Field Hockey (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) is in need of a new leader on offense. The attack was a weakness for the Orange last year, as they scored fewer than two goals per game; resulting in the Orange missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.

So far, the offense has a new scorer to come up big in the clutch.

Freshman forward Charlotte De Vries started her Syracuse career with a bang, scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals to support a strong defensive effort in the No. 18 Orange’s 4-3 overtime victory over Vermont (0-1, 0-0 America East).

This game was a dogfight from start to finish. The Orange and Catamounts combined to score four goals in the first quarter alone. Carolin Hoffmann put the Orange on the board first, and Laura Graziosi tied the game off a corner. Meanwhile, Kate Hall scored two goals for the Catamounts, with her two goals being the difference as Vermont had a 3-2 lead at the end of the first half.

The second half was a completely different game. Both teams stepped up on defense, closely defending each player and giving few scoring lanes. Syracuse goalkeepers Sarah Sinck and Syd Taylor shined, making several key saves down the stretch. Sinck, in particular, was a standout, making five saves playing the bulk of the time in her debut.

For much of the half, it appeared that the second half would remain scoreless. After a failed penalty corner, De Vries got the ball on the left side of the goal. The top-ten prospect took a Hail Mary swing and chucked it over the Vermont defense and into the net to tie the score.
Vermont had its chances to win the game, but Syracuse held strong. The Catamounts had a penalty corner with 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Sinck made a sparkling kick save to stop the threat. Less than 30 seconds later, Vermont had a wide-open shot on goal but shoved the ball wide.

In overtime, Syracuse got into penalty trouble, and Vermont had four corner opportunities, including three consecutive chances. Once again, Sinck and the Orange stood its ground and kept Vermont off the scoreboard.

That set up Charlotte De Vries game-winning opportunity. She hit a rocket past Catamount goalkeeper Sierra Espeland.
Syracuse has won consecutive season openers against Vermont. Last season, solid defense and a stud in Weers were not enough for the Orange to advance into the tournament. After one game, the offense did enough to pass its first test, thanks to its new star.

Syracuse travels to UMass Lowell for their next game on Sunday, September 1st at one o’clock.

pagunn@syr.edu | @patgunner_