Syracuse Allows a Surplus of Shots in 2-0 Loss at No. 7 Duke

Syracuse Allows a Surplus of Shots in 2-0 Loss at No. 7 Duke

By Cole Purvis

Syracuse women’s soccer (5-8-4, 1-7-1 in ACC) never really stood a chance against No. 7 Duke (10-3-1, 5-3 in ACC) Thursday night, losing 2-0.

The Blue Devils came out guns blazing, rattling off the first 14 shots of the game. Syracuse struggled to get the ball in its own end, and establish any offensive chances. However, its defense bent, but didn’t break.

That was until the 40th minute, when Duke’s Phoebe Goldthwaite’s shot was blocked by a defender on its way to the net. The officials suspected a hand ball, and video review confirmed it. This set up a Blue Devil penalty shot, taken by junior Kat Rader. As she approached the ball, SU keeper Shea Vanderbosch dove to her left, and Rader’s shot rolled right up the middle for the score. Duke finally scored a goal after knocking on the door for a long time. That score would remain the same as the game went to the half a few minutes later.

The Blue Devils were out to get some insurance in the final 45 minutes, and they got it in the 65th. Senior Devin Lynch inserted a corner kick right into the box in a great spot for a teammate to get a foot on it. Junior Mia Olario was the one to get a touch, and calmly deposited it in the back of the net.

When it was all said and done, the Blue Devils won 2-0. Duke led 32-6 in shots, 12-1 in shots on goal, and 9-1 in corners. While SU wasn’t expected to win this game, it is still not an encouraging sign to see the Orange on the wrong end of lopsided numbers. It’s the third time this season Syracuse has allowed over 30 shots in a game. All things considered, Vanderbosch played strong to only let in two shots, especially with one on a penalty kick.

Syracuse finishes the season Sunday at No. 23 North Carolina. Follow @Cole_Purvis on X for live updates from Chapel Hill.