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UConn sophomore forward Jaydah Bedoya made a run downfield less than two minutes in the contest, unleashing a shot on goal from the edge of the penalty box. Syracuse keeper Lysianne Proulx parried the shot away but the rebound bounced right in front of the goal. Immediately, Cara Jordan pounced on the free ball and tapped it in the empty net for a lead that the Huskies never relinquished.

UConn (4-2, 0-0 Big East) capitalized on multiple goalkeeping errors from Syracuse (4-2-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) and beat the Orange 3-0, SU’s most lopsided loss of the season. After scoring in each of its first five games, Syracuse has gone scoreless in its last two, a combined 200 minutes with no goals. The Huskies snapped Syracuse’s four-game unbeaten streak, their longest since 2016.

Bedoya tested Proulx from the edge of the box again in the 33rd minute to secure her second assist on the Huskies’ second goal. This time Bedoya made a run down the sideline, cut back inside and fired a ball towards Huskies’ forward Duda Santin at the corner of the six-yard box. Santin deflected the ball with one touch, and it trickled off Proulx on a difficult hop and into the net.

UConn scored its third goal of the match in the 59th minute off another error by Proulx. Emma Zaccagnini lobbed in a free kick from about 30 yards away that fell into an empty area between Proulx and the oncoming Husky attackers. Proulx sprinted out of position to punt the ball away, but she collided with the defensive line and fell to the ground.

The ball deflected off of Proulx and a UConn player before landing at the top of the six-yard box, with only defender Zoe Van de Cloot there to stop two Husky attackers. Husky midfielder Lucy Cappadona got to the ball first and poked it into the empty net.

Syracuse was not only outplayed on the defensive end but the offensive end too. In the first six games of the year, the Orange sent 16 shots per game but allowed under six per game. Today, UConn sent 17 shots toward the Syracuse goal, more than the Orange allowed in their past three games combined. Ten of those shots were on goal, four more than Syracuse’s previous season-high. Proulx saved seven shots — a season’s best — but misplayed the ball on all three of the Huskies’ goals.

On the offensive end, Syracuse only managed two shots on goal, by far the worst showing of the year despite 70% possession. For a 60-minute period in the middle of the match, Syracuse failed to earn a single shot let alone one to challenge each of the UConn keepers.

The Orange finish non-conference play with a 4-2-1 record, racking up as many wins as Nicky Adams secured in her first two years with the team combined. In 2018, Adams’ first year as head coach, Syracuse went 2-4-1 in nonconference play. Last year, the team only played Atlantic Coast Conference teams because of COVID-19. SU will begin ACC play on Saturday, Sept. 18 at Notre Dame.

Published on September 12, 2021 at 5:49 pm

Contact Connor: cpignate@syr.edu