Clemson’s Sam Staab threw the ball from the far boundary line to near the net, where a group of players stood. The ball ricocheted off Jessica Vigna’s chest to CU’s Abigail Mitchell, who tapped the ball to her teammate Patrice DiPasquale. She turned around to shoot the ball, but SU’s Courtney Brosnan was there on her knees to stop it, sending the game into overtime.

After two overtime periods, neither team found the back of the net Sunday afternoon. Syracuse (5-3-2, 0-1-1 Atlantic Coast) tied No. 19 Clemson (6-3-1, 0-2-1), 0-0, in its second bout of ACC play this season. SU’s defense stepped up in stopping CU, especially in set pieces. The offense never got going.

“They do really well on set pieces,” freshman Mackenzie Vlachos said. “We knew we didn’t want to give away too many. We just had to hold our shape.”

Of CU’s 16 shots, five were on goal and saved by Brosnan.  SU had five shots on goal and nine shots total. Both teams were relatively even in the first half in terms of fouls, with five apiece. In the second half, though, SU racked up 12 fouls, which led to Clemson getting chances on set pieces. CU had nine shots in the second half.

SU also had four yellow cards handed out, two in the second half and two in the first overtime. Opal Curless and Alex Lamontagne each were carded near the start of the first overtime. Alana O’Neill was called near the end of the second half and Brosnan toward the beginning.

Clemson goalie Sandy Maclver punted the ball down field, where it landed near the top of SU’s box. Brosnan ran out to kick the ball away. But as she was lifting her leg to send the ball down field, CU’s Mariana Speckmaier approached. Brosnan swung her leg and hit Speckmaier on the back, sending both to the ground.

“I saw the ball coming through over the top,” Brosnan said. “It’s my responsibility to clear that ball so I came out and saw someone running full speed at me. I got a little nervous and we ran into each other. I took the foul.”

That yellow card set up a shot for Dani Antieau. Brosnan stopped the ball from going in. The ball bounced back and was kicked by Staab into the goal post.

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Clemson took control of set pieces. The Tigers had eight corner kicks in the entire game, while SU had one.

“That’s just their style of play,” Syracuse head coach Phil Wheddon said. “Clemson plays for set pieces. Staab has an unbelievable striking foot and massive throw-ins.”

Near the end of the first half, Staab had a corner kick. She sent it to teammate Mackenzie Smith. The ball sailed over the net.

This game marked the fourth time this season SU faced a ranked opponent and the second time it tied. The Orange has not beaten a ranked opponent under Wheddon.

“I do feel that this team is an NCAA-caliber team,” Wheddon said. “I’ve said it to them, I’ve said it to reporters in the past. This is a team that’s special. As long as we keep putting in consistent performances, we’ll get results. This was another consistent performance after Thursday.”

Published on September 24, 2017 at 6:28 pm

Contact Kaci: klwasile@syr.edu