Women’s Soccer gets Eliminated from ACC Tournament in 2-0 Loss to Pittsburgh

By Collin Davies | @DaviesCollin

CitrusTV Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter

Syracuse lost 2-0 to Pittsburgh on the road tonight. The offensive duo of Chelsea Domond and Erin Flurey returned for the first time in several weeks. The goal-scoring pairing was not able to provide in this game.

The matchup was an even one until right before halftime. Syracuse had a 5-3 shot advantage during the first half. The momentum of the game switched with a minute left in the first period of play. Pittsburgh’s Bri Hilsenteger trapped a cross and fired her shot into the top of the net for the opening goal. From that point on, the game switched in favor of the Panthers.

Much of the second half involved SU fighting off a Pitt offense that got their motors going. Shea Vanderbosch shined for the Orange during that time. There were multiple saves that were parried out of the top corner. She finished the game with six saves, nearly all of them being outstanding.

Syracuse had opportunities to equalize after Hilsenteger’s goal, but they wouldn’t cash in. Pitt got the dagger with around five minutes left. Pauline Machtens attempted to drop a ball back to Vanderbosch but was picked off by Sarah Schupansky. Schupansky turned and finished the shot from far out while Vanderbosch was still out of the net.

Afterward, the Orange tried their best to get back in the game. That included sending the goalkeeper up on corner kicks to add an extra threat. Pittsburgh was able to thwart any chance of a Syracuse goal.

Now Syracuse is now eliminated from the ACC tournament. Without a conference tournament berth, it is highly unlikely that the Orange will make it into the 64-team field for the

NCAA tournament. The expectations now shift for SU to win their last two games and finish as high as possible in the ACC. The next test will be Sunday at 1 p.m. at Virginia Tech.