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As Syracuse goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx watched as the ball took one bounce toward the goal and crossed the line. Just seven minutes into the game, SU was down.

Syracuse (4-3-1, 0-1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost its opening ACC matchup — a 4-0 shutout — at Notre Dame (7-1-1, 1-0-0 Atlantic Coast) Saturday night. The loss marks three straight games without a goal for the Orange.

Syracuse saw little of the ball in the first half as Notre Dame continuously peppered shots towards Proulx. The Fighting Irish registered twelve shots in the first half alone compared to the one for SU. Notre Dame got off the mark after graduate student Sammi Fisher slotted home in the seventh minute. Fisher shot low and to the right and, and after seeing her effort hit the inside of the post, she watched it bounce into the back of the net.

In the 16th minute, UND almost doubled its lead after a swift counter-attacking move through the heart of Syracuse’s defense allowed senior Olivia Wingate to send a shot toward the goal. A timely block from an SU defender sent Wingate’s effort over the top of the net for a corner, keeping the deficit at one.

SU’s lone shot of the half almost tied the game in the 26th minute after a cross from midfielder Telly Vunipola found freshman Kylen Grant on the edge of the box. Grant’s powerful effort beat Notre Dame goalie Ashley Naylor but smashed against the crossbar and, after looping down, landed in Naylor’s waiting hands.

In the 34th minute, the Fighting Irish doubled their lead after a cross from junior Audrey Weiss found the waiting Kiki Van Zanten. Van Zanten took the pass down without much pressure from any Syracuse defender and scored past Proulx with another low shot. Notre Dame had a chance to score a third in the 42nd minute after the ball bounced around in the box. An opportunity eventually fell to defender Kaylie Ronan, who shot towards the right side of the goal, but Proulx met the effort and quickly parried the ball away for a corner.

The plot remained the same in the second half as Notre Dame continued to bombard Syracuse’s net with chances. Fighting Irish midfielder Camryn Dyke sent a powerful shot towards SU’s goal in the 51st minute, but Proulx pushed the ball over the top of the crossbar for another corner.

Five minutes later, Proulx saved another dangerous shot, this time from midfielder Korbin Albert. Albert’s effort was heading towards goal until Proulx pushed it away to the left, allowing the ball to be cleared away.

In the 60th minute, defender Katie Coyle added to Notre Dame’s lead, making it 3-0 after running into the box and beating multiple defenders. Coyle’s low shot went to the right of a sprawling Proulx and into the back of the net. Freshman Sophia Fisher scored the team’s fourth goal after a deflected effort fell into her path. She athletically volleyed the ball into the top right corner despite Proulx getting a hand on the shot.

Syracuse only attempted one shot and conceded 27 to the Fighting Irish, resulting in SU’s lowest game total of the season. Notre Dame’s 27 shots were also the most the Orange have faced all season.

Despite the crushing loss, Proulx walked away from the game with another achievement from her long career at SU. Her nine saves moved Proulx to fifth all-time on Syracuse’s career save list with 214, passing Katie Karlander, who had 209.

Syracuse returns home for its next game, its first home conference matchup of the season, against Louisville on Thursday at the SU Soccer Stadium.

Published on September 19, 2021 at 9:11 am

Contact Zach: zhgoldma@syr.edu