Syracuse Women's Soccer Destroyed in Six Goal Loss to #17 Pitt

The Orange dropped its 10th game of the season.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (All Syracuse FN) – On Saturday afternoon, Syracuse hosted #17 Pittsburgh, their fourth ranked opponent in the last six matchups. The 2-10-2 Orange came into the matchup looking for their first ACC win, and instead were dismantled by Pitt 6-0 as the Panthers picked up their fourth straight win. The visitors struck first, as midfielder Ellie Coffield’s outside the box strike found the top left corner in the 16th minute. Pitt doubled their lead eight minutes later, and Syracuse found themselves down 3-0 at halftime. The Panthers did not let up, netting another three goals in the second half en route to their biggest win of the season.

Below are three takeaways from the match:

The Energy is Gone

Even though the wins haven’t been coming for this team, the one thing you can usually count on at SU Soccer Stadium is the energy provided from Orange players and coaching staff. This team is scrappy at its core, and even though they’re usually underdogs, Syracuse has been able to pull out some results and create close games through pure effort. That was not the case today.

It’s not like there’s no reason for the Orange to be running out of gas. It could be the fact that this team is severely undermanned, with the few players who aren’t hurt having to take on a heavy burden in terms of playing time. It could also just be a long season catching up with players – only earning four positive results in a three-month season is mentally frustrating.

The Worst Loss in a Long Year

Saturday marked Syracuse’s eleventh loss of the season, and their sixth in ACC play. None have been as one-sided as the beatdown Pittsburgh put on the Orange in their own stadium. This is the first time Syracuse has conceded six goals this year, the previous low point being the five goals that have been allowed twice in losses at Harvard and Clemson. But at least in those tough matchups on the road, the Orange managed get on the scoresheet.

Pittsburgh’s offensive statistics are staggering – the Panthers took a season-high 32 shots, putting 17 on goal and earning 10 corners. Under constant pressure on their own end, Syracuse didn’t see a clear goalscoring opportunity in the 90 minutes of play. The Orange only tallied four shots, along with two corner kicks. It didn’t help matters that Syracuse’s leading scorer on the season, Erin Fluery, was subbed off early in the second half with a knee injury that she’s been battling recently.

Even So, Shea Vanderbosch is Historically Good

The sophomore goalkeeper has been one of the main stories for the Orange all year, and Shea Vanderbosch made history on Saturday afternoon. The goalie’s 11 saves against Pitt, which included stopping a penalty kick in the first half, saw her move up a couple rungs on Syracuse’s single season saves list, where she now sits in second place. Vanderbosch has tallied a staggering 108 saves this year, now trailing only a Syracuse women’s soccer legend - Katie Karlander.

Karlander tallied 138 saves across 21 games in 2000, a record that Vanderbosch seems unlikely to beat. With only three games left on the Syracuse schedule this season, Vanderbosch would have to average 10 saves per game to take the top spot – substantially more than her current per game tally of 7.2. Although the keeper won’t be happy about Saturday’s result, this may be the one positive takeaway from Syracuse’s afternoon.

Looking Ahead:

The Orange need a complete reset as they hit the road for their mid-week clash against North Carolina State on Thursday. The Wolfpack have also had a rough go of it this season, tallying a 2-7-5 overall record and only picking up one win in conference play up to this point. Syracuse can look forward to this match as a good chance to grab their first ACC win, although historically the Orange are just 1-3 all-time when visiting NC State. That game is set to kick off at 7pm on Thursday, October 19.