Syracuse Women's Soccer Scores Three Second Half Goals to Beat Boston College

Story by Julia Morris
Photos by Jiayang Zhang

 

Syracuse freshman Alana O’Neill came off the bench and scored the first two goals of her career to propel the Syracuse Orange (5-5-3) to a 3-0 victory over ACC opponent Boston College (8-5-0) at the SU Soccer Stadium Saturday night.

O’Neill’s first career goal was also the first shot on goal for the Orange and the first score of the match.  In the 73^rd minute of the game, she received a pass from Maya Pitts and then drilled the ball to the upper left hand corner of the net from 18 yards out.  The goal put the Orange ahead 1-0.

“It was really rewarding because I don’t play forward so I was just trying to do my best, I wasn’t really expecting much,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill had not played in the forward position before Saturday night's game.  Syracuse Coach Phil Wheddon decided to change his strategy when the game was still scoreless in the second half.

“We thought we needed a different type of spark and she’s a very athletic player,” Wheddon said. 

Shortly after coming in, O’Neill had a chance to score.  With 22 minutes left in the game, she sped past the Eagles’ defense but was stopped when Boston College goalie Darien Dunham came out from the net and made a sliding stop.  The play made O'Neill adjust her offensive method of attack. 

“I realized I have to shoot a lot earlier,” O’Neill said.  “I took the shot (goal) from so far out because they kept closing in if I dribbled more.”

 

As soon as O'Neill's 18-yarder went in, several former Syracuse women soccer players, who were in attendance to be honored for Alumni Day, jumped out of their seats cheering.

O’Neill scored again just five minutes later.  In the 78^th minute, junior midfielder Jackie Firenze took a corner kick and sailed the ball in front of the net – where O’Neill jumped up above defenders and headed it towards the goal.  The ball squeezed by Dunham to give the Orange a 2-0 lead.

“I just saw it coming so I stuck my neck out…it wasn’t very powerful but it did the job,” O’Neill said.

The final score of the match came with less than a minute left.  Freshman forward Alex Lamontagne dribbled down the right side of the field and crossed the ball, where sophomore Stephanie Skilton found it and scored.  The goal was the seventeenth of Skilton’s career and her eighth of the season.

Boston College controlled the ball for most of the first half but could not convert on scoring opportunities.  The Eagles out-shot the Orange 17-10 and also had six corner kicks to the Orange’s four.

One of the Eagles' opportunities came in the 34^th minute, when senior forward Stephanie McCaffrey fed the ball to sophomore Hayley Dowd who slid and kicked it toward the net.  Orange goal-keeper Courtney Brosnan made a diving stop to keep the game scoreless.  The block was one of six saves for the freshman, who was making her fifth start for the Orange since returning from a right knee injury.



 

“BC is a very good team, they have some of the best players in the conference so Courtney had to come up big," Wheddon said. "Typically you ask your goalkeeper to come up with one save a game she came up with two or three so I’m very proud of her.” 

In the second half, the Eagles had another close call.  The ball slipped past Brosnan to the center of an open net but defender Erin Simon was there to clear it.

“That was huge,” Brosnan said. “Them scoring a goal first would have completely changed the momentum of the game so when I’m not there Erin stepping up just completely changes the game, keeps us in it and keeps us moving forward to win.”

Syracuse will play second-ranked Florida State (11-1-0) on Thursday in Tallahassee.  Boston College also resumes play on Thursday.  The Eagles will travel to Charlottesville to play fourth-ranked Virginia (10-1).