CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — In a game that featured two of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top teams, No. 7 Syracuse (3-1, 0-1 ACC) couldn’t pull away from No. 11 Virginia (5-0, 1-0) on Sunday afternoon at Klockner Stadium, losing 17-16. After taking a two-goal lead into the half, the Orange struggled to keep momentum, as Virginia used a 5-1 run to take the lead. That cued a back-and-forth contest until Virginia’s Avery Shoemaker broke free and gave UVA a lead it would never give up.

Here are the superlatives from the game.

The big moment: Shoemaker’s go-ahead goal

Shoemaker caught the ball and lined up against her defender. As the clock ticked under four minutes with the game tied at 15, UVA had a chance to take a late lead against the Orange. She drove on her defender before breaking into open space and firing. Syracuse goalie Asa Goldstock stuck her leg out but the ball bounced under her and into the back of the net.

Stud: Kasey Behr

Virginia’s Kasey Behr was all over the place on Sunday afternoon, making her mark in multiple areas. She led the Cavaliers with four goals, opening the second half with a goal in what became a 5-1 Virginia run. Behr added an assist, six draw controls and even forced a pair of caused turnovers in the win. On a day where both teams battled offensively, Behr took advantage and broke down the SU defense.

Dud: Draw Controls

The previous loss of sophomore draw-control specialist Morgan Widner for the remainder of the season with a knee injury hurt Syracuse on Sunday. After a five-goal run late in the first half put the Orange up, 8-4, the Cavaliers won three of the ensuing four draw controls and used a 4-0 run of its own to tie the game. SU finished just 7-for-18 in the first half and those struggles carried over into the second half. The Cavaliers won five straight to open the frame and ended up winning the draw-control competition, 20 to 14.

Highlight: Emily Hawryschuk’s goal

Hawryschuk got possession and worked her way toward the UVA cage before being tripped up and falling to the ground. With no call on the play and a Virginia player trying to poke the ball loose, Hawryschuk got up and kept driving. She pushed her way through multiple Cavalier defenders before beating goalie Rachel Vander Kolk for Syracuse’s first goal of the second half. Hawryschuk finished with four goals, but none came more challenging than the Orange’s first possession to open the final half.

Lowlight: Virginia’s 5-1 run to open second half

Syracuse pulled away from UVA during the last minute-and-a-half in the opening frame, taking a two-goal lead on the Cavaliers. But the second half was a complete 180 with Virginia dominating. Outside of Hawryschuk’s goal, Virginia dominated in almost every aspect during its run. It went 5-for-6 on draw controls and outshot the Orange 8-1. The Orange had not given up more than 12 goals this season before Sunday — and not seven minutes into the second stanza, the Cavaliers scored goal No. 13. SU goalie Asa Goldstock struggled in the second half, unable to stop Virginia’s offense that constantly pressured the Orange.

Published on March 4, 2018 at 2:34 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco