No. 11 Orange earn first ranked win of the season over No. 9 UVA
By Josh Rothert | @joshrothert
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – 11th-ranked Syracuse field hockey (6-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) headed down to the Old Dominion with one thing in mind: win on Turf Field for the first time since 2015.
With a calculated first-half attack, SU scored two goals before the break, before an exclamation mark in the final minutes to knock off 9th-ranked Virginia (5-3, 1-2 ACC) 3-0 in Charlottesville.
Picking up right where the Orange left off in their last contest against UMass Lowell, sophomore Aubrey Turner slotted a feed off a penalty corner insert to a waiting Sammie Goin inside the circle. Goin held possession, dodged, and then rifled a screamer on target and past UVA goalkeeper Nilou Lempers to give the Orange a lead it would not relinquish.
Later in the half, Turner kept pace with the back line of UVA while the Cavaliers were trying to break the press. An errant feed wound up in the lap of Turner, who exercised a spin move before finding the net to double the Syracuse lead.
UVA’s response was palpable throughout the game; SU’s defensive play was simply elevated. Despite outshooting Syracuse 13-6. UVA was blanked for the second time in the past eight days (Duke on Sep. 18).
The goalie spot that was seemingly up for grabs after the opening weekend now looks to be firmly in senior Jessie Eiselin’s sole possession. Eiselin dazzled once again, stopping all six shots for just her first shutout of the season, but her third effort of six-plus saves.
Orange midfielder Karsin Beatty sealed the deal with a few minutes to play in regulation time. Similar to last week against UMass Lowell, the sophomore waited for a strike on a penalty corner chance for SU. After the insert, Beatty lined up on the far post and caught a deflection off a shot to add the third goal for SU.
Syracuse continues its season away from home. The Orange will play its eighth game of the season, and seventh away from J.S. Coyne Stadium on Sunday at noon, when SU battles No. 3 Wake Forest. Live updates can be found on X @joshrothert.
