Pick-Six Shifts Momentum, Leads to Wolfpack Win Over SU

By Lauren Winfrey
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – 

Syracuse v. NC State 

Amid the 40, 787 attendees primarily dressed in orange at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon, there was a sense of shared expectation. Syracuse was favored to win against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, and the fans expected the Orange to do so—the players expected to do so themselves. But SU fell short.

Coming in, Syracuse (3-6, 1-4 ACC) needed to win three of its last four games to become bowl eligible. Now the Orange will need to win three straight to reach bowl eligibility.

Momentum shifts

With two  minutes and fifty-two seconds left in the 3^rd quarter and SU leading 14-9, NC State defensive end, Pharoah McKever returned an interception 82 yards for a TD and the 2-point conversion gave the Wolfpack (5-4, 1-4) a 17-14 lead over SU. A shift in momentum permeated throughout the Dome and the fate of the game was sealed in NC State’s favor when Jacoby Brissett threw an 18- yard pass to Shadrach Thornton with 2:14 left in the fourth quarter to make it 24-14.

A sliver of hope appeared for Syracuse after Cole Murphy hit a 50-yard field goal and Dyshawn Davis recovered the onside kick to make it 24-17, but AJ Long's desperation pass was intercepted by Josh Jones at the goal line and time ran out.

"We just needed one more big play and I definitely could have done a better job of making that play, [or] someone else could have done a good job making that play," receiver Jarrod West said. "It’s just tough. I mean we got close, but close doesn’t win games, you have to have someone step up.”
 

And step up is exactly what the Orange had done earlier in the game. Trailing 9-0 on three Wolfpack field goals, SU put together a 96-yard drive at the end of the first half, capped by Long's 15-yard TD pass to Ben Lewis. 

After halftime SU returned with a vengeance scoring during the first possession of the half on a 10-play, 75 yard drive, giving the Orange a 14-9 lead. Long hit Steve Ishmael on a 25-yard pass play for the go-ahead score.

Then came McKever’s pick-six.

Thornton's touchdown catch sealed NC State's first ACC win this season and its first road win in four years.

“We were trying to run that play," Brissett said. "It’s a run-pass option and the receivers outside did a great job and the offensive line did a great job of sealing off the end and Shad got in and scored.” 

Not enough offense

The Syracuse offense struggled in the first quarter not putting any points on the board. Scoring early has proven crucial for SU—the Orange has lost every game it has played this season when it has not scored in the first quarter. Injured key players and poor execution on by the offense only added to SU’s list of woes.

Offensive tackle and senior captain Sean Hickey agreed offense could have done more, despite injuries that have led to change in the O-line.

“There were some plays where some guys were just unable to get the job done," Hickey said. "But if you’re in the game, you’re expected to execute. It’s an excuse really to blame the injuries because if you’re in the game you’re supposed to execute, and if you can’t execute then you have to get the next guy in there which we did a couple of times.”

Next

SU coach Scott Shafer said he was pleased with his team's effort, especially in the second half, but it just wasn't enough.

 

"We're just a little thinner than we'd like to be but no excuses, own it, move on, find a way," he said.

Syracuse, now 6^th in the ACC Atlantic Division will face off against Coastal Division leader Duke (7-1, 3-1) next week Saturday at the Carrier Dome at 12:30 in its final home game of the season.. Duke got past Pitt on the road in double-overtime Saturday, 51-48. 

 

Syracuse Forced to Settle for Another Tie After Late Penn State Goal

Alysha Burriss scored the first Orange goal and assisted on the second

Story and Photo by Cody Love

SYRACUSE, N.Y.- The Syracuse Orange played a solid game and led for most of it, but it was not enough to avoid another tie at home.

Amy Petersen scored a powerplay goal with less than four minutes left in regulation to bring the Penn State Nittany Lions into a 2-2 tie with Syracuse at Tennity Ice Pavilion on Saturday.

Syracuse already has five ties on the season, all of them coming at home.

Although the Orange outplayed the Nittany Lions for much of the game and held a commanding 52-17 shot advantage, Penn State went 2-4 on the power play to equal Syracuse's goal output.

"I was proud of our kids, the way we started the game," Head Coach Paul Flanagan said, "but when you can't bury those chances, and you let a team hang around, bad things can happen."

The Orange, which started out sluggish in the first game between the two teams last night, came busting out of the gates this afternoon.

Freshman forward Alysha Burriss picked up her second goal of the season only five minutes into the contest.

"We got pucks to the net," Burriss said, "I just got lucky, got the rebound, and I walked around the goalie and the far side was open."

Before the halfway mark of the period, Penn State got its first powerplay goal as defenseman Bella Sutton found Laura Bowman open in front of the net, and she stuffed it past Syracuse goalie Jenn Gilligan.

Towards the end of the first, Syracuse got a power play opportunity of its own.  Defensman Kaillie Goodnough's shot from the blueline hit the chest of Penn State goalie Hannah Ehresmann, but she was unable to cover it.  Jessica Sibley managed to poke the puck past the goal line, with Burriss and Jessica Sibley also joining the scramble.

The referee signalled for a goal on the ice, and the call stood after video review.

The second period and most of the third saw no goals, but plenty of shots and big saves by Gilligan and Ehresmann.

Petersen's goal was the result of a nice feed to the front by Bowman, who was behind the net.

The chemistry between Petersen and Bowman was apparent all weekend long.  The two also played together at Minnetonka High School in Minnesota.

Both teams had power plays in overtime, but could not capitalize on them.

Syracuse is set for another home conference weekend, as its faces rival Mercyhurst next Friday and Saturday.

Penn State takes a break from conference action as it goes to Colgate next weekend.


Around the Conference

Lindenwood secured a three-point weekend at RIT, winning 3-1.

Meanwhile, Mercyhurst held serve at home against Robert Morris, earning the weekend sweep with a 4-1 win.

After the first weekend of conference play, Syracuse is tied for second with Lindenwood, one point behind Mercyhurst.  Penn State's one point leaves them tied for fourth with RIT.


Postgame Comments

Paul Flanagan

Alysha Burriss

Jenn Gilligan

Julie Knerr

Class A Race Turns Into A Battle for a Trip to the State Meet

By Danielle Kennedy

 Verona, N.Y. - The team championship title at the Section 3 meet is like a golden ticket.  It's a guaranteed spot on the line at the state championship meet. 

F-M and Liverpool dual at Section 3 Class A race (c) 2014 Shaylyn Tuite 

Today at Vernon-Verona-Sherill High School, Fayetteville-Manlius unwrapped that golden ticket, winning the Section 3 Class A race 24-45 over Liverpool.  Senior Bryce Millar (F-M) earned his second consecutive individual sectional title, finishing the race in 15:42.  This is the Hornet's seventh consecutive team title, having earned ten wins in the last 14 years. 

Although eleven teams competed in this race, it was a duel between the Warriors and the Hornets, the top-two cross-country teams in New York State. 

“We wanted to win very badly," said Junior Ben Petrella.  "One of our biggest goals this year was to win states and it was the harder of two goals.  The other goal was to make it to Nationals and place in the top two, but we knew it would come down to sectionals.”

Liverpool didn't make that team dream come true today but it still seized three out of the five individual qualifying spots for the state meet next Saturday, November 8 in Canton.  Petrella is one of those individuals, finishing second overall today in a time of 15:51.5.  Seniors Connor Buck and Dylan McCarthy will also compete at the state meet, finishing with times of 16:26.4 and 16:29.8, respectively.

But for Petrella, the pain of the team's loss resonates more than the satisfaction of his individual performance.

"Even making states as an individual doesn’t really make up for the disappointment right now," he said.

Still, for a team that hasn't won a Section 3 title since 2007, head coach Tracey Vannatta said Liverpool's decision to get out in front of the race was a chance worth taking.  

“We tried to go out fast, we tried to go out with them and we hatched up in the mud, but maybe it wasn’t the best tactic for everybody," Vannatta said.  "It worked for some and others didn’t have their best day."  

 
But even on his best day, Petrella is still reminded of how it feels to live in the shadow of F-M.  “Because we’ve had to deal with this in the past , sadly, we’re used to this."

Looking forward, he hopes that will change.  "We also have more goals to go after," he said.

F-M will once again pressure the second half of the Warriors' goals at the Nike Regional Championship on November 29. There, Liverpool will contest for a win or an at-large bid to the Nike Cross Country National Championship for the second year in a row.  

As for the state meet next week, Vannatta said she is glad that it will be an opportunity for Petrella, Buck, and McCarthy to have some fun as they take a break from the pressure of team competition.

“I think it’s relaxing for them," she said.  "They can relax and I think there’s nothing [team-wise] at stake so it’s kind of a fun thing.”

While these three individuals have the opportunity to earn all-state honors, a break to re-focus might be all that Liverpool needs as a team to end the season on a higher note than today. 

Crunch "Spooked" by Amerks in Friday Night Loss

Cody Kunyk and the Crunch dropped their third straight in a 3-0 loss to the Rochester Americans on Halloween night at War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse.

Story and Photo by Michael Castellano

A potential three-game losing streak wasn't enough to spook the Syracuse Crunch into beating the Rochester Americans on Halloween night in downtown Syracuse. The Crunch, playing their first game since an October 26th 5-1 loss to Springfield, was silent offensively, getting shutout 3-0 by the Amerks before a crowd of 3,887 fans at the OnCenter War Memorial.

The Crunch (3-4-1-0), has scored only three goals in its first four losses this season but did manage 38 shots on goal against Rochester goalie Andrey Makarov. The Amerks (6-2-0-0) meanwhile have won five of six and have outscored their opponents 17-6 in those five wins.

The Americans got on the scoreboard  at the 2:58 mark of the first period on a goal by right winger Joel Armia. It was his fourth on the season and second in the last two games. 

The Crunch had plenty of scoring opportunities early on with four Rochester penalties totaling 11 minutes of power play time in the first period, but couldn't get anything past Amerks goalie Andrey Makarov.

"I thought we had a lot of chances, I thought we had a lot of traffic, we just didn't score," Crunch head coach Rob Zettler said. "I thought their goalie played really well."

With the Crunch one man down late in the first the Amerks took advantage. Defenseman Jerome Leduc scored a power play goal in the last minute of the opening period to give Rochester a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

That was the last goal until the 7:42 mark of the third period when the Amerks Phil Varone scored his fourth goal of the season in not so typical fashion. 

"We poked the puck," Crunch right winger Mike Blunden said. "It went up off our own guys' [Syracuse goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy] shoulder and in the net."

It was that kind of night for the Crunch which has failed to take advantage of power-play chances early in the season. The Crunch ranks 28th in the league in power play offense and has converted on just 2 of 33 chances.

"We generated some chances, but at the end of the day that's not good enough," said Jonathan Marchessault, who leads the Crunch with seven points on the year. "We have to bury those opportunities on the power-play and get those points."

Friday night's shutout loss was the first time this season the Crunch failed to score. The team ranks last in the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division with just 16 goals on the season.

The Crunch will be right back on the ice Saturday night, facing off against the Binghamton Senators (3-4-2-0) at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton. The puck drops at 7:05p.m.

 

Syracuse Men's Soccer Team Ends Regular Season Play with a Double Overtime Victory over Boston College

Story by Julia Morris

Photos by Jiayang Zhang

Syracuse, N.Y. - On Senior Night at the Syracuse University soccer stadium, Friday, it seemed only fitting that senior and team captain Skylar Thomas scored the game-winning goal in double overtime to give the Orange (14-2-1) a 2-1 victory over the Boston College Eagles (5-8-3).

Thomas scored in the 102^nd minute of play following an Orange free kick.  Sophomore Alex Halis received the kick in the box and directed a shot toward the net that was blocked by BC goalkeeper Alex Kapp.  However, Thomas followed up with the rebound and slid the ball into the lower right corner of the goal, giving the Orange the win and causing fans to jump out of their seats in celebration.

“I can’t remember much but the ball was crossed in, I think it came down on my foot and I just hit it and it went in,” Thomas said.  “It was an excellent night, I couldn’t ask for much more.”

While the Orange had the last goal of the game, it did not get on the board first.  The Eagles scored in the 10^th minute of the game when Diego Medina-Mendez directed a shot toward the net from the left side of the field.  The quick strike found its way into the lower right corner of the goal and put BC ahead 1-0.  

“He whips the ball in the box and the tough thing is the guy got free and if you give a touch on that I have to try and stand my ground but he missed it and it scored toward the back post,” Syracuse goalkeeper Alex Bono said.

Medina-Mendez’s goal for the Eagles also meant the Orange was trailing in a game for the first time since its matchup against Notre Dame on September 13. 
 

Syracuse quickly responded to even the score.  In the 28^th minute of the game, sophomore Oyvind Alseth was weaving in and out of defenders inside the box when he got tripped up by BC defenders.  A foul was called, one of twelve for the Eagles, and set up a penalty kick opportunity for the Orange.  Senior and team captain Nick Perea took the kick and sent the ball into the left center of the net right past Kapp, who dove to his right.   The goal was Perea’s fourth of the season and the tenth of his career.  
 

“Just calm and pick a side,” Perea said as he described what was going on in his mind before the shot. “And then just hit it as hard as I can and hope the keeper doesn’t get it.”

Head Coach Ian McIntyre praised Perea’s overall efforts after the game but also pointed out that senior night can be an emotional one for players as well.  

“(He) covers every single blade of grass and was emotionally and physically drained at the end of the game,” McIntyre said. “Sometimes these senior nights can be tough on your team because there’s a lot of swirling emotions off the field you can’t control.”

There were no goals in the second half but Syracuse applied significant pressure on the offensive end, firing seven shots.  The Orange's strong offensive attack was met with an equally aggressive defensive effort.  Led by Thomas, who could be heard shouting “Focus, boys, focus!”, the Orange held the Eagles to only two shots in the half.

The shot trend differential continued into the first overtime as the Orange had several big chances to score.  With four minutes remaining in the overtime period, Korab Syla sent a shot that sailed just over the top of the net. Then with 35 seconds left, Chris Nanco fired a shot that sailed just over the top right post.

In the second overtime, the Eagles had a chance to end the game in the 101^st minute when Junior Dylan Pritchard had a wide open net but he steered the ball just inches too far right to score.  Thomas’ game-winning goal came just one minute later.  It was his third goal of the season and second game-winning goal this year.

Thomas and eight other seniors on the team were recognized before the game.  After the win, McIntyre reflected on the role those seniors have played both on and off the field for the Orange.

“I refer to them as the cultural architects of our program,” McIntyre said.  “They set the standard, they lead by example and as they mature they become more vocal leaders as well.  It’s great from a coaching perspective to see these seniors create their own memories.  But what I did say to the group is October memories are wonderful but there’s nothing better than creating November memories.”

The Orange will look to create those November memories when ACC tournament play begins.  Tonight’s victory means Syracuse will have a top spot in the tournament, which will take place on November 5th, 9th, 14th and 16th.  The official tournament bracket will be announced after all remaining regular season games are played this weekend. 

Skylar Thomas Postgame Interview 

Coach McIntyre on Thomas' Game-Winning Goal  

Coach McIntyre "Game Felt Like a National Tournament Game" 

Orange Handles Nittany Lions in CHA Opener

Kaillie Goodnough had two points on the night.  One goal and one assist.

Story and Photo by Cody Love

SYRACUSE, N.Y.- For the first time since the opening night of the season, the Syracuse Orange were winners.

The SU women won their conference opener, beating the Penn State Nittany Lions 3-1 at Tennity Ice Pavilion on Friday night.

Defender Kaillie Goodnough was the top performer of the night, picking up Syracuse's first goal, and an assist on the last.

She was relied upon for minutes against Penn State's top players.

"Just staying confident and choosing your moments is a big part of being out there a lot," Goodnough said, "but I had a lot of support from the team, so that was good."

Goodnough and the rest of the defense contained the Nittany Lions, who managed to find a lot of time in the offensive zone, but only had 20 shots to show for it.

"What we've been working on a lot is just having better defensive posture, so that we're between the puck and the net," Head Coach Paul Flanagan said, "and I think that thwarted a lot of their opportunities."

Goodnough's goal came 11 minutes into the game.  She carried the puck into the offensive zone with space, and flipped a wrist shot past Penn State goalie Celine Whitlinger.

"(I) saw there was a girl driving to the net," Goodnough said, "so I thought just get it on the net, and it paid off."

That was the only goal of the first period, which also saw no penalties.

Penn State received the first power play of the game midway through the second period and capitalized with an equalizer.

Laura Bowman set up Amy Petersen, who fired a slap shot that went into the net cleanly.

Less than two minutes later, Syracuse captain Julie Knerr answered with a slap shot of her own from the point to regain the lead for the Orange.

Syracuse came out in the third period and quickly crashed the Penn State net.  A shot from Allie LaCombe trickled past Whitlinger and closed out the scoring for the night.

The Nittany Lions increased their scoring opportunities towards the end of the game, showing desperation, but they were unable to tighten the game.

Syracuse goalie Jenn Gilligan, who was relatively untested for most of the night, made some big stops, including a save on a Bowman breakaway.

These two teams go right back at it on Saturday at Tennity Ice Pavilion.  Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 pm.

Elsewhere in the Conference

The four other teams in College Hockey America opened their league play as well Friday night,

The Lindenwood Lions traveled to Rochester to face the RIT Tigers.  That game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Meanwhile, the two teams that tied for first in the conference Coaches' Poll, the Robert Morris Colonials and the Mercyhurst Lakers, met at Mercyhurst Ice Center.  The Lakers won 3-0.