Syracuse’s defense wore masks and stood inside the goal, rushing forward as Virginia passed a penalty corner to the top of the circle.

The Orange closed out on Tara Vittese, one half of the dangerous midfield that SU prepared for all week.

“(Virginia) didn’t have a lot of space to play all day,” Syracuse midfielder Alma Fenne said.

Vittese, presented with no passing lanes, wound up. As the shot sailed wide left with 4:30 remaining and the Cavaliers trailing 3-1, the scoring opportunity — and game — slipped away from Virginia.

The game ended 3-1 and Syracuse held the nation’s seventh-highest scoring offense – the Cavaliers tally 3.88 goals per game – to a single goal. UVA recorded seven shots in the first half, but was limited to just one in the second half. No. 2 Syracuse (8-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) used lessons from a week of practice, improved second-half execution and fitness to hand No. 4 Virginia (8-1, 2-1) its first loss of the season.

“We played really great defense today,” head coach Ange Bradley said. “They’re one of the top teams in the country on attack.”

All week Syracuse focused on defense in practice and scouted Virginia’s attack with film breakdowns, back Roos Weers said. In particular, the Orange wanted to shut down midfielders Vittese and Lucy Hyams.

“They’re probably the best midfield in the country,” Weers said. “They’re really fast. We focused on keeping them in front.”

While the pair accounted for half of the Cavaliers’ eight shots, they couldn’t find the back of the net. On Friday, whenever Hyams and Vittese touched the ball, the Orange swarmed.

When Hyams attacked the baseline, she was immediately met by SU’s Serra Degnan and Alyssa Manley. When Hyams tried to pass inside to a cutting Cavalier in front of the net, Manley and Degnan deflected the ball to Syracuse teammates.

When the Cavaliers pushed on the offensive, goalie Jess Jecko said the team would use a substitution trick and take a player off the field, bring the ball up on the left side and then sub a player in off the bench, who was uncovered and had space to reverse the ball.

“Once we realized it, we started yelling out, ‘Hey! A girl’s coming in!’” Jecko said. “I can’t say enough of how the defense played today, especially against a tough ACC school.”

As the game progressed, the Orange also gained an upperhand in fitness, both Liz Sack and Fenne noted.

At 64:25, two green cards assessed to Weers and the Orange had to play down two players, 10-on-8 in the field. Syracuse packed it in and played conservatively to kill off the penalty. In that time, Syracuse staved off two Virginia pushes on offense and midfielder Laura Hurff broke up a pass with her ankle to slow the Cavaliers.

“That’s the point where (our fitness) showed,” Fenne said. “They struggled.”

The Orange’s lines on defense, the pushing and pulling, improved greatly in the second half, Jecko said. As Syracuse solved Virginia’s offense — the substitutions and angles taken by Hyams and Vittese — the Cavaliers grew more frazzled.

After Sack scored Syracuse’s third goal to give the team a two-goal cushion, Virginia called a timeout. In the huddle, Bradley stressed remaining calm and continuing to play its defensive game plan.

“(Coach’s message) was that we need to stay focused,” Weers said. “They got a little unorganized, but we stayed disciplined. It was a great win for us.”

Published on September 25, 2015 at 8:05 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR