Courtney Brosnan stood front and center in the Syracuse huddle — a commanding presence among her teammates. Wide-eyed and eyebrows raised to the sky, she pounded her gloved hands together for emphasis, her eyes darting from teammate to teammate to ensure they received her message loud and clear.

Syracuse was heading to overtime for the second consecutive game, and after Buffalo downed the Orange on a double-overtime goal Sunday, Brosnan’s message for her team was simple.

“I was just talking about how we’ve had a lot of games this season where we felt we were playing better than teams … and they came back in the second half to beat us,” she said. “So I was just asking the team what we could do different, who was going to change it to not get the same result.”

The goalkeeper’s message resounded with her defense, which locked down in-state rival Cornell (3-0-2) and held the Big Red to just two shots on goal and three overall. Syracuse (2-4-1) rode a stout back line and strong defensive play from its midfield Friday afternoon, tying Cornell 0-0 at SU Soccer Stadium.

Syracuse head coach Phil Wheddon said that limiting opponents’ shots was a point of emphasis for his team, a plan made clear from the beginning.

In the first half, Cornell’s Paige DeLoach gathered the ball just in front of midfield with just the goal in front of her and Erin Simon flanked on her left side. Simon matched DeLoach step for step down the field, pushed her off the ball and poked it away.

It was one of Cornell’s best looks.

“Just tenacity, determination … we managed to shut down their attack, so defensively, I thought it was very good,” Wheddon said.

And while the defense cleared out any balls that broke into the back line, Syracuse’s midfield set the tone in the center of the field, where Jackie Firenze hopped into passing lanes while pointing and shouting directions to her team.

“If people don’t communicate in a game, number one you’re not gonna know where to go, what to do and it actually helps build confidence when you can hear someone behind you tell you, ‘hey, it’s OK to step, it’s OK to do this,’” Firenze said.

By forcing Cornell to work in front of the defense and eliminating any scoring opportunities behind the back line, Syracuse left Brosnan with an easy night’s work.

The goalkeeper trotted out halfway to midfield on multiple occasions, watching as her offense handled duties on the other end. On a night she was only forced into making two routine saves, Brosnan appeared a mere spectator.

“ … (She) didn’t break her sweat and wasn’t challenged very much,” Wheddon said.

And with Cornell making a push in the final 30 seconds of the double-overtime period, a rare sight on the afternoon, Syracuse’s defense responded accordingly.

Firenze swallowed up the loose ball that lay just inside the box and booted it ahead to midfield.

The clock expired just moments later.

“I think definitely the defense is stepping up,” Brosnan said. “We’re fixing those problems in the back, trying to stay organized. Obviously not conceding (any goals) is a positive we can take out of this.”

Published on September 11, 2015 at 8:16 pm

Contact Matt: mralex01@syr.edu