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Willemijn Boogert inbounded a penalty corner late in the third quarter. Charlotte de Vries received the pass and found a wide-open Boogert at the near post. Despite holding a 1-0 lead, Syracuse had worked hard to double its advantage but to no avail. Yet, de Vries’ pinpoint delivery back to Boogert resulted in the game-sealing goal. She slotted home past an outstretched Robyn Thomspon to secure another nonconference victory.

SU’s 2-0 win (9-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) over Princeton (5-7, 3-1 Ivy League) boosted it back to winning ways after a loss to No. 14 Harvard dropped the Orange to a season-low No. 12 ranking this week. A goal in each half, from Eefke van den Nieuwenhof and Boogert, proved just enough to achieve victory for Syracuse.

Both sides started sluggishly in the first period. After conceding six goals against the Crimson Tide last week, Syracuse looked to tighten up defensively. Yet, its orderly backline came at the expense of a timid offense during the early going.

Following an unsuccessful van den Nieuwenhof penalty corner, the Orange sustained a period of pressure six minutes in. But Princeton couldn’t find the target. By the end of the first period, both teams were knotted at 0-0. Van den Nieuwenhof’s effort was the lone shot recorded between them.

The second quarter started no differently. Though Syracuse maintained the majority of possession, it couldn’t break the Tigers down. Then in the span of just two minutes, Amber Coebergh and Pieke van de Pas were both given green cards, forcing SU to play 11-on-9 for a few possessions. Even when the Orange were temporarily outnumbered, they kept possession, fending off a Princeton offense that didn’t attack too aggressively.

With two-and-a-half minutes left in the half, Syracuse captured its elusive first goal. The Tiger defense deflected a van de Pas shot from close range but the rebound fell right to van den Nieuwenhof. The defender, who was recently named ACC Offensive Player of the Week, fired past a diving Thompson to put SU up 1-0.

Going into halftime with the advantage proved to be a big boost for Syracuse. Princeton was immediately forced to open up and abandon its defense-first game plan to tie the contest back up. While the Orange couldn’t convert on their chances early in the third quarter, the Tigers appeared to be far more vulnerable as they continued to push personnel up the field.

With just a minute remaining in the third quarter, SU doubled its tally. A well drawn-up penalty corner play saw de Vries set up Boogert, who provided a 2-0 cushion. The Orange entered the fourth quarter in the driver’s seat and started to look far more at ease.

Despite its firm control and visible comfortability in the waning minutes, Syracuse continued to generate shots on goal. Van de Pas and Olivia Bell both saw their shots saved. De Vries made things happen down the middle but very little could materialize once she reached the final third. SU finished with 12 shots compared to Princeton’s two, but only half of its attempts on target.

With 50 seconds left, Princeton appeared to have scored. A cross from the right wing latched onto a Tigers’ stick and finished in the bottom right corner. But, the goal was quickly waved off.

From there, the Syracuse offense burst forward once again to run out the clock.

Published on October 8, 2023 at 3:19 pm

Contact Alex at alcalabre@syr.edu