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Syracuse (0-1) was unable to create any offense in Thursday night’s season opener, losing to Pittsburgh (3-0) on the road, 2-0. The Panthers dictated the game from whistle to whistle, peppering the Orange net with 27 shot attempts — including 12 on goal.

Lysianne Proulx, the Orange’s goalkeeper, was busy all night, making 10 saves in the defeat. But her team was only able to generate one shot on net the entire game. The loss marks Syracuse’s 17th consecutive winless road game, dating back to 2018 and extending an 0-16-1 stretch.

Neither team managed to get on the score sheet in the first half of play, but Pittsburgh dominated the first 45 minutes. The Panthers’ 14 shots overwhelmed just three attempts from the Orange. Syracuse was only able to get one shot on net in the first half courtesy of Kate Hostage, who missed all of last season because of injury.

In the second half, Pittsburgh picked up right where it left off and continued its shot onslaught. Emily Yaple finally broke the scoreless tie for the Panthers, scoring at the 57:01 mark to give them a 1-0 lead.

The Panthers would later tack on some insurance, with Amanda West capitalizing on a penalty kick opportunity and extending the lead to 2-0 with 15 minutes to play in the game.

Syracuse was never able to put together a threat in response, getting off just one shot attempt in the second half. One of the better opportunities for the Orange was a Jenna Tivnan shot that glanced off the post early in the half. She had two of the four shot attempts for Syracuse in the game.

Hannah Pilley, Alina Miagkova and Aysia Cobb made their debuts with the team coming off the bench, while Lindsey Brick, Olivia Erlbeck and Telly Vunipola made their Orange debuts in the starting lineup.

The Orange are now on a five-game losing streak dating back to last season. They face Louisville next on Oct. 1, where SU will look for its first road victory since Sept. 2, 2018 at Northeastern.

Published on September 17, 2020 at 10:23 pm

Contact Cameron: cbmckeon@syr.edu