One year after Syracuse missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007, the Orange were minutes away from losing their 2019 season opener to unranked Vermont.

But with six minutes left, freshman Charlotte de Vries whacked her stick at the ball as it rolled away from the opposing goal. As she faced away from the cage, the ball flew into the top left corner, tying up the game.

That was de Vries’ first of two goals as No. 18 Syracuse (1-0) defeated Vermont, (0-1), 4-3. The Orange, for the second-straight year, defeated the Catamounts by scoring four goals. Yet last year, the Orange only allowed one goal.

SU struck first only minutes into the game. Junior Carolin Hoffmann scored after a scrum near the cage, but the Catamounts quickly struck back with back-to-back goals.

In a see-saw battle that saw three lead changes, the Catamounts held the lead for most of the game. Syracuse trailed 3-2 at the end of the first half. That score would hold into the fourth quarter, until de Vries fired home her first goal of her career, sending the game to overtime.

Then, a few minutes after the end of regulation, de Vries struck again.

Weaving her way through the defense, the freshman from Conestoga High School (Pennsylvania) saw an opening past Vermont goalie Sierra Espeland. She switched the ball to the left side and backhanded a shot into the bottom right corner, completing the comeback for the Orange.

Syracuse takes on UMass Lowell on Sunday at 1 p.m. in its second-straight road game to begin the season.

Published on August 30, 2019 at 6:47 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman