Syracuse defenders hunched over in exhaustion. Several minutes had passed. SU simply could not find a way to clear the ball from their zone.

It looked as though Boston College was finally ready to make the depleted Orange pay. And the Eagles may have easily capitalized had it not been for spectacular play from senior goalkeeper Regan Spencer about 10 minutes into the game.

As a BC forward darted past the front of the net looking to tuck the ball in the corner, Spencer recovered. She scrambled to the ground making a diving, pad-stack save to keep the game tied at zero.

Fans cheered, “Yeah, Reg!”as she made another spectacular save, kicking the ball free and helping the Orange advance the ball out of its own zone for the first time in several minutes.

No. 1 Syracuse (5-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) beat No. 18 Boston College (1-3, 0-1), 3-1 at J.S. Coyne Stadium on Friday and Spencer had four saves in the victory. It marked Spencer’s fourth career start for the Orange, but according to her teammates, this breakout performance has been a long time coming.

“She has been a behind scene worker for three years now,” fellow senior Liz Sack said. “It’s great to see her take her confidence from off the field and all of her hard work and being able to put it on the field.”

As the offense struggled to finish chances, the Orange was forced to turn to its workhorse to lead the comeback charge.

Led by Spencer, the Syracuse defense held the Eagles scoreless on three penalty corner attempts. Keeping the Eagles offense at bay proved crucial for Syracuse, as defense led to offense for SU.

With Boston College battling in the closing minutes of the game, a couple of Eagles forwards found themselves alone in front of the net. Two forwards against one relentless goalie. Spencer denied the shot blocking their shot with a flare of her pads.

The play ended in a corner shot for Boston College which once again ended in a save from Spencer. The ball bounced off Spencer’s pads onto the stick of Roos Weers. Weers sent the ball soaring down the field and found Elaine Carey out in front of the opposite cage for a breakaway goal. This goal was the finishing touch on a 3-1 victory for the Orange.

Following the game Spencer was unavailable for interviews but junior center back, Lies Lagerweij, had high praise for her goalkeeper.

“(Spencer) is really stepping up there,” Lagerweij said. “From the beginning of the season we knew our starting goalie Jess Jecko from last year left, so we needed someone to step up and I really think she did that.”

Following in the footsteps of Jecko isn’t easy but so far Spencer has been up to the task. In the four games she’s appeared in this season, Spencer boasts a 0.99 goals against average right on par with Jecko’s 1.00 average for all of last season. Spencer boasts a 0.79 save percentage along with one shutout.

As the Orange delves deeper into its ACC schedule it will look to Spencer to continue her outstanding play. If Friday was any indication, SU won’t be disappointed with what it sees.

Published on September 9, 2016 at 10:38 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44