By Julia Morris
Photo by Jiayang Zhang
Syracuse, N.Y. -
Syracuse, N.Y. -
The Syracuse Orange women’s soccer team (5-10-4) fell just
short in its season finale, losing in overtime to the University of North
Carolina Tar Heels (12-2-2) on a cold Sunday afternoon. For the Orange, the loss was its fifth in six
games as the team’s last victory came on October 4th against Boston
College. With the win, No. 5 North Carolina extended its unbeaten streak to twelve games.
Junior forward Paige Nielsen scored the game-winning goal
for the Tar Heels in the 96th minute of play. Following a North Carolina free kick, forward Summer
Green crossed the ball to the lower right side of the net, where Nielsen
received the pass and then directed the ball to the lower left corner of the
goal to end the game. The score was the
fourth game-winner of the season for Nielsen.
The Tar Heels also began the game’s scoring. In the 17th minute of the game, Green was in the lower right corner of the box with the ball and then drilled it into
the left corner of the net to give North Carolina a 1-0 lead.
The Orange had two opportunities to even the score in the
first half, both on breakaway plays by forward Alex LaMontagne. In the 22nd minute,
Montagne sped down field and closed in on the net. But her shot was too
strong and sailed just over the goal post. Two minutes later, the freshman found herself in front of the net but again could not finish. This time, her shot veered left of the goal post.
“She’s dangerous but having said that, she should have
scored those two goals,” Syracuse Coach Phil Wheddon said. “That’s the difference right now, those
chances are falling to other teams and they’re finishing them.”
Despite the missed opportunities in the first half, the
Orange was able to even the score in the second half. In the 71st minute, Stephanie
Skilton dribbled into the middle of the box and crossed a pass. Maya Pitts came running in from the right
side and got her foot on the ball, sending it to the lower left corner of goal
to make the score 1-1.
“Steph was dribbling in and just made an overlap around for
her to play me in and I wanted to get to it before the keeper did,” Pitts said.
Despite the game-tying score, Pitts’ shot was only one of three total for the
Orange throughout the game. On the other hand, the Tar Heels fired
twelve, one of which was Nielsen’s game winner, and that proved to be the difference maker in the game.
Orange midfielder Alexis Koval, who was honored before the
game as the team’s only senior this season, said losing the game the way the
Orange did was not easy.
“It’s heartbreaking working that hard throughout the entire
game and then it ending in overtime,” Koval said.
Looking Ahead to Next
Season
Coach Wheddon said that overall he was disappointed with the
Orange’s season, which is now officially over as the team does not qualify for
tournament play.
“Disappointed obviously…it goes without saying we are just
not finishing our opportunities and that’s been our nemesis all season long,”
Wheddon said. “We get two or three fantastic opportunities that we don’t finish
and other teams do.”
However, Wheddon is hopeful that if the Orange applies the
work ethic he saw in today’s game, the team will improve its record next
season.
“We look back at it and say if we fought like that every
game and had that intensity every game it probably would be a different story,” Wheddon said. “To take North
Carolina to overtime is a moral victory in itself, unfortunately it doesn’t
show up on the stat sheet. It’s a good
platform for us to move forward.”
The Tar Heels’ season will continue as the team secured a
No. 2 spot in the ACC tournament with its victory today. UNC will play No. 3 Virginia on Friday,
November 7th at 8pm at the UNCG Soccer Stadium in
Greensboro, N.C.
Video:
Coach Wheddon Thoughts on Season Pitts on Positives for Next Season
Pitts on Game-Tying Goal
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