Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Florida State’s attack consistently put pressure on Syracuse’s backline, but it hadn’t taken a lead at any point in the game.

Despite their egregious shot and corner kick advantage, FSU was locked into a 2-2 tie in the closing minutes against the Orange. The Seminoles dominated and consistently put pressure on Syracuse’s backline all game.

In the 84th minute, FSU pushed the ball down the right side of the field before changing its course. As FSU midfielder Maggie Taitano received the ball in the center of Syracuse’s defensive zone, she instantly swung the ball behind midfield to defender Heather Gilchrist. Gilchrist immediately passed the ball to Lauren Flynn, who dribbled the ball back down into the teeth of Syracuse’s defense.

The Orange defense didn’t step up on Flynn, allowing her to pass the ball ahead to Onyi Echegini on the left corner of the 18-yard box. Echegini dribbled the ball to her right, where three SU defenders were in the vicinity, but she ripped a strike just inside the right goalpost. SU goalie Shea Vanderbosch notched a career-high 16 saves, but Echegini’s dagger left her frozen.

No. 3 Florida State’s (7-0-0, 2-0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) offensive attack and depth led it past Syracuse (2-7-1, 0-2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), as it defeated the Orange 3-2. The Seminoles outshot SU 32-2 while they took 15 corner kicks without allowing SU to take one. When Kendyl Lauher left the game at the end of the first half with a significant injury, Syracuse’s rotation dropped to 13 players. Despite not trailing for more than 83 minutes, SU’s lack of rotation depth hampered it in the final seven minutes.

“All the credit to my players for fighting tooth and nail,” SU head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said. “We knew that was going to happen and the sacrifice and grit to throw their bodies, Shea…unreal, unreal.”

While Vanderbosch did all she could to keep FSU from putting up a crooked number on the scoreboard, SU’s offense struggled, only taking advantage of crucial mistakes from the Seminoles.

In the second minute, FSU forward Jordynn Dudley received a pass but she was offsides, giving SU a free kick. The kick was booted near midfield, where the ball rattled between the two teams until SU’s Erin Flurey gained possession.

On one touch, Flurey sent the ball down the field, but Gilchrist was closest to the ball with goalie Cristina Roque right by her on the lip of the 18. But after a miscommunication between them, SU forward Liesel Odden applied pressure, stealing the ball and tapping in an easy open-net goal.

The Orange jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but their lead was relinquished four minutes later. The Seminoles swung the ball around midfield before pushing the ball downfield again.

Along the left side of the field, midfielder Ran Iwai was given space. As she penetrated deeper into SU’s defense, Lauher swung her hips to defend the middle of the field, leaving Dudley open to Iwai’s left. Dudley drove the ball toward the middle of the 18-yard box.

Lauher traveled with Dudley the whole way, but Dudley swerved past her with a nifty move near the center of the box. As Dudley created separation from Lauher, she threaded the needle getting the ball back to Iwai, who was cutting into the 18-yard box.

Iwai was quickly smothered by SU’s defense, but she got rid of the ball ahead to Beata Olsson with a backspin. In front of the net, Olsson got her foot on the ball but Vanderbosch couldn’t get a hand on it, tying the game 1-1.

For most of the half, Florida State dominated possession offensively, but it couldn’t score a go-ahead goal — mainly because of Vanderbosch’s heroics in the net.

“I needed to put my best foot forward for No. 3 (Florida State),” Vanderbosch said. “We had a really good defensive effort the whole game.”

Just like they had to open the half, the Seminoles made another crucial mistake to end the first half.

In the 44th minute, the Orange had a throw-in deep into FSU’s defensive zone. Aysia Cobb received the pass and tried crossing the ball toward FSU’s back post. Gilchrist was the first to the ball, getting her head on it, but the ball ricocheted backward toward FSU’s goal.

Roque leaped to the top right of the goal trying to prevent an own goal, but it was out of her reach, as Gilchrist’s second mishap gave the Orange a 2-1 lead.

In the 56th minute, Leilanni Nesbeth passed the ball to Echegini in the box. Flurey cut the passing lane, deflecting the ball out-of-bounds as Echegini attempted to cross the ball to Olsson.

This set up the Seminoles’ seventh corner kick of the game. Because of how many chances the Seminoles had on corner kicks, it was a matter of time until they were going to finally capitalize. Despite Taylor Huff’s corner landing right in front of Hannah Pilley near the right post without a Seminole player in the area, Pilley scored an own goal to tie the game.

For the remaining 34 minutes, Florida State dominated possession. It ultimately scored the game-winning goal in the 84th minute to defeat Syracuse.

“This team has been dealt a really crappy deck of cards in terms of numbers (due to injury) unfortunately this year,” Adams said. “The positives you take away are the guts and bravery that they played with, and the momentum that creates going forward.

Published on September 21, 2023 at 11:38 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon