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As Syracuse goalie Lysianne Proulx watched NC State forward Jameese Joseph rush toward her in the 62nd minute, she had no choice but to move toward the ball. Joseph looked up, shot to the right of a diving Proulx and converted for the Wolfpack.

Proulx sat on the ground, looking around helplessly. She couldn’t have done anything more to prevent the goal, and her team was in a familiar position: down three goals to a more successful team.

During Syracuse’s (4-11-1, 0-9-0 Atlantic Coast) 3-0 loss to conference foe NC State (8-7-2, 4-5-0 Atlantic Coast) on Sunday, SU started strong on offense with five shots but unraveled in the second half. The loss marks the Orange’s 10th straight loss and their 11th game without a victory. SU’s 10-game losing streak is its longest since 2018. The Orange have only mustered three goals during the stretch.

SU started strongly on both offense and defense in the first half. Poor clinical, however, play prevented the Orange from netting any solid opportunities. In the fourth minute, Syracuse freshman Kylen Grant barged down the right wing and sent a weak cross into the box,  which Wolfpack goalie Maria Echezarreta easily dealt with.

In the ninth minute, SU again threatened NC State’s net. Graduate student Natalie Weidenbach found freshman Hannah Pilley in the middle of the field, but Pilley fell down as she shot wide of Echezarreta’s goal. Three minutes later, Echezarreta also pushed away Syracuse senior Meghan Root’s shot aimed at the bottom left corner.

Pilley found herself with space in the 25th minute again, but after spinning away from a defender, her shot was saved by Echezarreta. In the 34th minute, a defensive mixup by the SU backline almost gave the Wolfpack a chance to open the scoring, but a poor pass gave the ball back to Proulx.

NC State’s first opportunity led to its first goal of the game in the 37th minute. Wolfpack defender Jenna Butler was chopped down in the box by Syracuse freshman Mags Thornton, leading to a penalty. NC State defender Lulu Guttenberger stepped up and sent her attempts at the bottom left corner past Proulx, who dove the wrong way.

In the second half, Syracuse’s offensive prowess disappeared as the Wolfpack took hold of the game. NC State scored its second goal of the game in the 49th minute through midfielder Emika Kawagishi. Kawagishi received the ball on the edge of the box before cutting in and sending a high shot over a jumping Proulx. The Wolfpack added one more score in the 64th minute after a well-timed through ball fell into the feet of Joseph, who calmly slotted to the right of Proulx.

Syracuse’s best chance of the game came in the 69th minute through Pilley. Pilley had space in the middle of the field, but she could not weave her shot around the patient Echezarreta, who made her sixth save of the outing.

Published on October 24, 2021 at 4:57 pm

Contact Zach: zhgoldma@syr.edu