Sinck’s Superb Performance Carries Orange Field Hockey Over River Hawks
By Patrick Gunn
CitrusTV’s Field Hockey Beat Reporter
LOWELL, Mass. – The Cardiac ‘Cuse is most notably used to describe Syracuse men’s lacrosse and men’s basketball, but on Sunday, it was SU Field Hockey’s turn to don the nickname.
After defeating Vermont into overtime, No. 18 Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) went down to the wire but pulled out a 1-0 win over UMass-Lowell (1-1, 0-0 America East), thanks to a herculean effort from goalkeeper Sarah Sinck.
Sinck elevated her game from five saves against the Catamounts to 11 saves against the River Hawks. And, she had to fight for every single one of those saves. Several shots involved her diving left and right, using every inch of her body – and her hockey stick – to keep UMass off the board.
On one occasion, Sinck had already sprawled out on the ground, but as the shot came towards her, she managed to lift up her glove and knock down the ball. This game could have easily turned into a blowout, but Sinck’s performance kept Syracuse above water during a difficult game.
Surprisingly, the best save of the game did not come from Sinck. In the fourth quarter, Sophie Kroeze of UMass-Lowell got the ball and drove past Sinck, who had dived far in front of the goal. What looked like it should have been an easy goal turned into a web gem as midfielder Carolin Hoffmann stood in front of the goal and threw out her stick for the remarkable stop to keep the game scoreless.
The game would remain scoreless until Charlotte de Vries finally broke through, scoring her third goal for the Orange and her second game-winning goal with just under ten minutes left in the game. The freshman forward had been trying to score all day, but the River Hawks defense was paying close attention to her– for good reason. However, de Vries could not be held down for long.
Offensively, de Vries was not alone. The Orange only mustered two shots, compared to the River Hawks’ 12, as UMass-Lowell’s defense blocked shots, passes and all lanes. Thanks to Sinck’s insane day, one shot was all Syracuse needed.
Sinck and company now have a quick turnaround as the Orange play at home for the first time tomorrow night. They face Lafayette in J.S. Coyne Stadium at 6 p.m.
pagunn@syr.edu | @patgunner_
