Proulx Struggling, and Offense Can’t Find the Back of the Net
By Jesse Cook
CitrusTV Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter
For over two weeks, the Syracuse women’s soccer team has not scored a goal, losing 4-0 at Notre Dame on Saturday night.
One match into A.C.C. play and the offensive struggles are becoming more and more prevalent. Their leading goal-scorers, senior midfielder Telly Vunipola and freshman midfielder Pauline Machtens, who both have only two goals through eight matches.
In their bout at South Bend, the Orange kept with their history and kept the egg in the win column uncracked.
Graduate student goalkeeper, Lysianne Proulx, watched shots take unexpected bounces off bodies and posts which drew her out of the net more often. She faced 13 shots on goal, but the Fighting Irish offense fired a total 27 shots, by far the most the québécoise keeper has ever faced, equaled by a 2020 match at Pittsburgh and a 2019 match at Auburn.
Proulx has never won a match in which she faced 15 shots or more.
Syracuse plays Louisville (5-1-1) next. The Cardinals have sent more than 15 shots in four of their seven matches on the season, including a season-high of 27 in their opener against Western Michigan, a 6-2 victory.
The Cards have outscored the Orange 18 to nine on the season, literally doubling Nicky Adams’ squad’s output on offense.
Louisville’s one loss came in a 1-0 shutout vs. Western Kentucky in which Louisville fired 16 shots.
Graduate student keeper for Louisville Gabby Kouzelos has allowed nine goals on the season on 81 shots. Proulx has allowed 12 goals on 79 shots.
Seven Louisville scorers have placed at least two balls in the back of the net, their top two scorers, freshman midfielder Nina Nicosia and sophomore forward Emma Hiscock each scoring three times this season.
The Cardinals have been one-upping the Orange all year in goals scored, goals allowed, and wins.
How can the Orange flip the script? Louisville’s loss did not happen as a result of poor offensive output, they fired 16 shots, five of which went on goal. The Hilltoppers’ graduate student keeper Alexis Bach has simply been phenomenal all year, allowing just five goals on 76 shots.
This means that Proulx needs to be at her best, however it also indicates that the defensive backs need to help. Syracuse routinely plays with a defensive setup, putting forth only one forward and drawing back the other nine players on the pitch.
Additionally, no team ever won with zero goals scored. This three-game drought is the eighth time since 2016 that the Orange have gone three matches or more without a goal, going four games like that in 2018, and five matches in that matter in 2019 and 2020.
The Orange last went a season without being shutout in three consecutive matches in 2012. They have gone a no-goal skids 11 times since then, allowing a five-match stretch in 2014 and a 4-match snap in 2013.
S.U. women’s soccer has not played a winning season since 2012, playing .500 during the 2016 campaign as their best mark during those years. At 4-3-1, they currently sit above .500.
@jessecooktv | jacook@syr.edu
