No. 8 Syracuse Wins Achievement Filled Opening Day over Sacred Heart, 6-1
By Max Gifford | @GiffMD
No. 8 Syracuse field hockey (1-0) kicked off its 2023 campaign with a statement 6-1 win over Sacred Heart (0-0). It marked the first one for new head coach Lynn Farquhar, and the third straight season the Orange have won their season opener.
SU saw five different goal players get on the scoresheet this afternoon. Most prominently, graduate student Charlotte de Vries, in addition to an assist, scored her first goal of the new season which propelled her past the 100 point mark. Coming into the season with 99, de Vries is now one of six ‘Cuse players in program history to register at least 100 points.
Stepping up in a big way for the offense, junior Olivia Bell converted her first two goals since Halloween of 2021 against Cornell. Her two scores marked the forward’s first career multi-goal affair.
Syracuse continued its 2022 trend of wasting no time in getting on the scoreboard as Saint Joseph’s transfer Aiden Drabick drew first blood nearly six minutes in on a deflection cross. Similarly, out of the halftime break, freshman Sarah Smalley poked home her first collegiate goal to extend the Orange lead to 4-1. In the ACC last year, SU scored 23 times in the first five minutes of any given quarter.
Also making her presence felt early in the season, new graduate midfielder Pieke van de Pas recorded a goal and assist respectively on a game-high six shots on goal. The Weert product walked over the Pioneer defense all game, and capitalized with a highlight reel split of the backs and sprawling shot and score.
Defensively, Brooke Borzymowski recorded two saves on the three shots she faced; surrendering one single goal to Sacred Heart’s Ally Frampton in the 2nd Quarter. She was substituted for Abby Neitch at the start of the final quarter, where the sophomore made her collegiate debut.
As for SHU’s keeper Samantha Maresca, the junior made a career-high 14 saves, but was simply outmatched. Syracuse tallied 31 total shots in the contest; 21 of those were on goal.
The Orange don’t have much time to celebrate its season opener winner, as they’re right back in action tomorrow afternoon in Burlington against Vermont. First push is set for 1 p.m.
