Lots of Zeros to Start Off 2020 for Women’s Soccer

By Trey Redfield

CitrusTV Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter

The shortened 2020 season for Syracuse Women’s Soccer is already a third of the way complete. After seeing three games from the Orange this season, there are a lot of zeros to point out.

Zero wins, zero ties, and most of all, zero goals. 

With zero goals, comes zero offense. Syracuse is currently averaging only six shots per game. Don’t let that fool you, though. In two of the Orange’s first three games, the offense only put up four shots–two of them on goal. 

With the lack of goal scoring, the zero wins are only inevitable. The last time the Orange did put a tick in the win column was last year on October 30, at home, against Wake Forest. 

But even with all the zeros seen in the box scores and records, head coach Nicky Adams knows her players are not looking to throw in the towel. 

“We need to get better in the final third,” the second-year head coach said. “I know this team will continue to fight and keep improving.”

While the offensive side struggles, the defense has been the ones to keep the Orange in the fight. Starting with the defense, Alina Miagkova has been lockdown for Syracuse. She has made a crucial impact for the team recently, playing all 90 minutes in the past two games. A food for thought, she has not even been in the United States for an entire month, due to travel restrictions with the pandemic. 

Moving further back, there is none other than Lysianne Proulx. Two weeks of Syracuse Women’s Soccer and nothing has changed. Over the weekend, she tallied fifteen total saves–nine of them coming from Sunday’s match at Notre Dame. In only three games played, the senior is running the show in the net in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She is third in total saves with 24, along with being first in saves per game with eight.

From here, the road will only get tougher. A week off this week, their home opener is against top ranked North Carolina next Thursday. The Tar Heels have won all four of their games this season, along with never losing to or tying the Orange. Their all time record against the 21-time national champion stands at 0-6.

Four days later, Syracuse gets another Tobacco Road opponent in No. 7 Duke. The Blue Devils sit in the middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference at 2-1-2, also never losing a game to the Orange. The all time record between these two stands at 0-4-1.

The positive from this is that Coach Adams’ squad will have to travel zero miles for a couple of weeks. Even though no fans will be in attendance this season, the fact that the Orange will not have to travel thousands of miles round trip anymore could be the spark this team may need. 

Sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference at 0-3 with only six games left, it is time to get going for the Orange.

dwredfie@syr.edu | @Trey_Redfield