No. 5 Syracuse (2-0) beat Oregon (1-1) 17-11 to win its second-straight game to start the season. Nine SU players scored in the game, with Taylor Gait’s three goals leading the Orange. Freshman Molly Carter was the other three-point scorer for Syracuse, adding an assist to her two goals.

Syracuse led the shots battle all game long, finishing with a 36-26 lead in that category while putting 26 on-goal to the Ducks’ 19.

Gait tied for the team-lead in shots as each took seven. Levy scored the two of the first four Orange goals in the game and never recorded a point after.

The matchup was the first time the two programs met in each of their respective histories. SU head coach Gary Gait captured his 167th win in his 222nd game as head coach of the Orange and it comes against Oregon’s Katrina Dowd, who owns a .500 career record after just 18 total games over the past two seasons.

SU started fast out of the gate, grabbing a demanding lead before Oregon could counter. The Orange opened on a four-goal run and grew its lead to eight with 5:33 remaining in the first half.

But the Ducks began to threaten after SU built its lead. In a 6:25 stretch spanning the end of the last 3:32 of the first half and the first 2:53 of the second half, Oregon ripped five-straight goals to cut the Syracuse lead to just three.

Hannah Van Middelem played the entire second half in goal for the Orange after entering at the break. She struggled early, but bounced back, not allowing a goal for the next 19:34 in the half as the Orange began to run up the score. Starting goalkeeper Asa Goldstock had five saves in the first half before being replaced by Van Middelem in the net.

Following the 5-0 run from the Ducks, the Orange scored four straight goals to give it another comfortable lead that it never looked back from.

In the season opener, Gary Gait said the Orange struggled on draw controls, as it split the draw 18-18. The Orange didn’t do much better against an unranked Oregon team, only narrowly edging the Ducks 16-14.

Following the brief cross-country road trip, Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome Thursday for a 5 p.m. matchup with Albany.

Published on February 18, 2018 at 7:07 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary