SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women’s soccer team scored twice in the second half and tied No. 18 Duke, 2-2, on Sunday, Sept. 22 at the SU Soccer Stadium. The tie snapped Syracuse’s four-game losing streak and gave it its first point in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) standings.

“We eliminated some of the mistakes we had in the first half,” SU head coach Phil Wheddon said of his squad’s second-half performance. ”I’m so proud of this group. I thought the effort today was fantastic. They worked hard the entire game.”

Duke (4-4-2, 1-2-1) took an early, scoring just 2:29 into the match. Toni Payne took a shot from the right side of the box. Syracuse goalkeeper Brittany Anghel (East Meadow, N.Y.) made a diving save but could not control the ball, which deflected to Laura Weinberg on the left side of the box. She put her shot inside the far post to five Duke a 1-0 advantage. The Blue Devils added to their lead in the 39th minute. Avery Rape played a through ball to Kim DeCesare. Anghel came out of goal to play the ball, but DeCesare took possession first and lofted a shot over Anghel and into the goal as Duke led 2-0 at halftime.

Syracuse (4-5-1, 0-3-1) cut the lead in half in the 52nd minute on a corner kick. Freshman Maddie Iozzi (Ajax, Ontario) served the ball to fellow freshman Stephanie Skilton (Auckland, New Zealand), who was in the box. She put her low shot past Duke goalkeeper Ali Kershner for her fourth goal of the year. The Orange tied the score in the 63rd minute. Sophomore Erin Simon (Oakhurst, N.J.) served the ball into the box from the left side. Sophomore Jackie Firenze (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) fought off a defender to take possession and found the back of the net for the equalizer.

Duke continued to apply offensive pressure but Anghel was up to the task, making three saves in the final 23 minutes. Syracuse’s best chance for the game-winner came in the 85th minute, but junior Alexis Koval’s (Syracuse, N.Y.) shot was stopped by Kershner.

The Blue Devils controlled much of the action in the first overtime session. The Orange defense successfully defended against three corner kicks, and Anghel’s save on DeCesare’s shot in the 99th minute sent the game into a second extra session.

The Orange was the more dangerous team in the second overtime, but couldn’t convert on its opportunities. Anghel recorded a save on Weinberg’s shot in the 108th minute to preserve the 2-2 tie.

Duke outshot Syracuse, 17-12, and recorded eight corner kicks to four for the Orange. Anghel finished with a season-high nine saves, while Kershner had five.

Syracuse returns to the SU Soccer Stadium to face Clemson on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. Admission is free of charge.
 

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