Syracuse forward Michelle Marks beat a mass of defenders and found fellow forward Lindsay Peirson wide open to the side of the box — the same position Peirson stood in minutes earlier.

But unlike the first time, Pierson put the ball to the back of the net, and the Orangewomen won their first overtime game of the year, 1-0, over No. 16 Ohio State on Sunday at Coyne Field. The win was a significant turnaround from SU’s previous outing, a 5-0 loss to Michigan State on Friday night.

“The goal was exciting,” Peirson said. “We had so many opportunities in regulation, and it was great to get the win.”

Peirson went from goat to hero after she blew a chance to put Syracuse on top late in the second half. Positioned to the right of the net on a penalty corner, the wide-open Peirson received a pass with a clear line to the net. Although she stood within feet of the goal, her deflection went just wide, and Syracuse’s best scoring chance to that point was wasted.

“We practice (that play) all the time,” Peirson said. “It was set up perfectly. I put my stick out, and it just went a couple inches wide.”

“(Missed opportunities) are always frustrating,” Syracuse head coach Kathleen Parker said. “But as long as (Peirson) put the one in that won the game, that’s fine.”

It was fine for Marks, too. She was so excited, she could hardly recall what took place.

“I don’t even know how it happened,” said Marks, who was credited with the assist on the play. “I just took it in. I don’t know how many people I beat, but I gave the pass to (Peirson) after I saw her open, and she put it in.”

The game came two days after SU was shut out, 5-0, by No. 8 Michigan State. The Spartans dominated the Orangewomen, outshooting them, 25-2, and having an 11-1 advantage on penalty corners.

But against Ohio State — the defending Big Ten champions — Syracuse applied consistent offensive pressure. SU outshot Ohio State, 10-6, and had nine penalty corners to OSU’s three. SU goalkeeper Audrey Latsko only had to make three saves Sunday compared to 13 against MSU.

The biggest difference may have been the attitude going into each game.

“We were just a step behind against MSU,” Latsko said. “We learned from our mistakes and capitalized on it (Sunday).”

“We weren’t as nervous (against Ohio State),” Peirson said. “After the Michigan State game, it was a little disappointing because we should have been able to compete with them more. We wanted to make up for it.”

Ohio State (3-3) came off a 6-2 victory over Villanova in its first game of the Big East-Big Ten Challenge.

“We only played in the second half,” Buckeye coach Anne Wilkinson said.

The win lifts the Orangewomen’s record to 3-2 as they prepare to host Penn State on Wednesday. After a victory like Sunday’s, Parker thinks the momentum will start to carry the team.

“It’s always a confidence booster,” Parker added. “You play overtime games, and the more of them you win, the more confident you get. It’s definitely a good win.”

Published on September 16, 2002 at 12:00 pm