Less than two minutes into Syracuse’s season-opener against La Salle, its attack was already clicking.

Midfielder Meghan Root gathered the ball in the middle of the field, charged forward and looped a delicate through ball into the path of forward Kate Hostage. The sophomore had separated herself from two La Salle defenders and had only the goalkeeper to beat, but moments before preparing to unleash a strike, she was bodied off the ball from behind. Despite failing to get a shot off in a dangerous position, it was a promising start for SU’s offense.

All game, the Orange used quick, precise link-up play to create six shots, but never scored in a 1-0 loss. Again and again the Orange squandered its best chances, failing to even test the goalkeeper. In eight games since La Salle, Syracuse (3-6, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) has followed a similar pattern. SU has had no trouble keeping possession, finding players in space and generating shots. But when it gets into dangerous areas, the execution is sloppy.

“We’re creating opportunities. It’s just that end product that’s letting us down,” SU head coach Phil Wheddon said. “We’re getting players in good positions. We’ve just got to execute.”

The Orange has scored six goals, including two penalty kicks, in nine games this season, tied for 264th out of 331 Division I teams. SU’s low goal-scoring numbers parallel its average shot total (nine) per game, which ranks 272nd in the nation. But in four games this year, when tallying 10 shots or more, Syracuse has scored a combined five goals. In its five other games, SU has scored once on 24 shots. Even when the chances are there, SU doesn’t convert.

“The final ball” — a clean shot on net or a pass to set up a likely goal — has been missing from the Orange’s offense, sophomore forward Mackenzie Vlachos said. Everything before the finishing touch has been solid, Vlachos said, as the Orange has improved at moving up the field as a unit and showing urgency. It is up to individual decisions and composure to top off such attacks with a goal.

“We have to take our chances,” Vlachos said. “We’re starting to pass the ball and play as a team, we’re getting it. We’re getting it up the field. It’s just either that final pass or that final shot.”

In a 4-0 loss to No. 13 Duke on Sunday, when SU mustered only three shots, its passing in the middle third during build-up plays was effective at times and led to scoring chances.

In the 62nd minute, Vlachos, Root, Georgia Allen and Victoria Hill put together six passes in and around the Blue Devils’ penalty area for Syracuse’s most threatening attack of the game. The Orange was one quick pass or shot away from testing Duke goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn, but Vlachos’ final pass was too far wide for Allen, and the ball was intercepted and cleared.

To try and solve Syracuse’s finishing woes, Wheddon puts players in game-like situations during practice, he said. Players are put in all kinds of scenarios: controlling and shooting a bouncing ball, separating themselves from defenders, finishing crosses, placing long-range shots.

Against La Salle — 33 minutes after Hostage’s second minute chance — the Orange was down a goal but conjured up another opportunity. Hill drove the ball to Sydney Brackett, who was darting down the right wing. Brackett was one-on-one with Explorers defender Jenna Soriano, and when the SU junior scooted around her, a shot on goal was imminent. But Brackett stalled. Soriano recovered and swiped the ball before being yanked down by Brackett, who received a yellow card for the foul.

“I’ve been a striker all my life,” Brackett said. “The best advice I’ve received is that strikers need to have short memories. If you’re getting into good positions and getting shots off, you’ll get your goal eventually, no matter how many times you miss.”

With teams like La Salle behind them, SU’s loss against Duke marked the start of ACC play — its final nine games are all against conference foes — and showed the Orange how few chances it will get against ACC teams.

“We’re going to have to make sure we put away our chances,” Wheddon said. “Against teams like Duke, UNC and NC State we might only create five or six chances, and we’ve got to make sure they go in.”

If SU wants to surpass its mark of four goals in conference play last season, they must.

Published on September 19, 2018 at 10:55 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu