An early goal by freshman Grace Gillard helped Syracuse (8-7-3, 1-6-3) finish its regular season with a 1-1 draw against visiting NC State (7-7-4, 2-6-2) on Thursday night at the SU Soccer Stadium.
The tie gave the Orange the program’s best finish since 2012 when Syracuse ended its campaign 9-7-2.
HOW THE MATCH WAS DECIDED:
Two dramatic shots ended up being the standout plays in the draw between the two ACC foes. Syracuse struck first when Gillard converted a penalty kick 3:30 into the contest. She placed a left-footed drive in the back of the net for her first collegiate goal.
NC State’s response came more than 65 minutes of game time later. Jameese Joseph attacked the Orange net on the endline and somehow managed to negotiate a shot that ended up behind Syracuse keeper Michaela Walsh.
A BUSY FIRST HALF
After the Orange opened the game’s scoring in the first few minutes of play, both teams produced scoring opportunities up until the intermission. Syracuse had five corner kicks in the opening half and almost extended its advantage on one of the set pieces. Junior Kate Murphy’s corner found sophomore Emma Klein, who headed the ball toward the net. Wolfpack keeper Maria Echezarreta came up with one of her six saves to thwart the Orange at the 26:47 mark.
NC State countered with a chance less than three minutes later when Alexis Strickland had her header grabbed by a diving Walsh.
THE WOLFPACK EVEN THINGS UP
Syracuse exerted the most pressure after the intermission. The Orange outshot NC State 8-1 over the first 23 minutes of the second half.
NC State knotted the score 69:16 into the contest and the two teams maintained a steady defensive posture the rest of the way. The Wolfpack had the last good opportunity in the final minutes but Walsh saved Joseph’s shot attempt to preserve the tie.
NOTEABLE NOTES:
- Walsh, who started the first two games of 2022 before being sidelined with an injury, was back in the lineup for the final game of her collegiate career.
- Graduate students Chelsea Domond, Blue Ellis and Jenna Tivnan played in their final SU outings.
- Tivnan made the 66th start of her career and played all 90 minutes.
- Sophomore Mags Thornton made her first collegiate start for the Orange.
- Syracuse outshot the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at SUAthletics.com Latest Stories…