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Following a rebound off of Lysianne Proulx, Jenna Tivnan attempted to recover the ball and clear it out of Syracuse’s box. But Boston College’s Jenna Bike gained possession, causing Tivnan to check Bike from behind. The move led to a penalty kick for the Eagles and a yellow card for Tivnan.

Syracuse’s defense lurked behind, and Sam Smith prepared for the kick. Proulx dove left to prevent a goal, but the ball left her fingertips and settled near an unattended Emily Knous. Midfielder Telly Vunipola slid in front of Knous in a final attempt to defend the net, but Knous’s shot landed in the upper right corner and extended Boston College’s lead to two goals in the second half.

“I’m upset about that because we really worked on following shots and rebounds all week, and the fact that we got scored on, that just irks me.” head coach Nicky Adams said.

In Syracuse’s 3-1 loss to Boston College (1-5, 1-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), Proulx continued her strong senior season by matching her career-high 14 saves. But Syracuse’s (0-6, 0-6) defense continued to fizzle in front of her, failing to protect the net, allowing Boston College too much space in the box and folding under pressure. Even with SU notching its first goal of the 2020 season, it remains winless heading into its final pair of games, and defensive issues remain.

“It shows our 1-v-1 defending is not where we want it,” Adams said. “It’s been showing every game that it’s a weakness.”

Syracuse defensive issues aren’t new. Against No. 1 North Carolina, Prolux notched 14 saves for the first time. It kept the Orange defense in the game, but they allowed two unanswered goals in a sloppy first half. Adams attributed an increase in aggressive play to a scoreless second half.

Days later, Syracuse faced No. 5 Duke and allowed four unanswered goals through 90 minutes. The Blue Devils pounced on the Orange, breaking through SU’s defense in the eighth minute to launch their first goal in net.

Those problems resurfaced in the 25th minute against Boston College, when Syracuse’s defense gave up a penalty kick early in the first half. The backline failed to defend a penalty kick by Bike, allowing Boston College to tie the match at one.

When Laura Gouvin pressured the Orange net late in the first half, Syracuse defenders backed up as the ball slid low into the goal, past Proulx, allowing the Boston College freshman to score her first collegiate goal unassisted. Proulx saved the other 14 first half shots that the Eagles sent her way, though.

“Thank god for Lysianne.” Adams said. Proulx, along with other SU players, weren’t made available during the postgame press conference.

The high volume of shots on goal and the necessary number of Proulx saves reveal problems with the defense. It showed SU’s backline isn’t doing its job, Adams said.

Late in the first half, Proulx made a long diving save on a shot in the upper left corner by Bike. Syracuse’s counterattack led to a slew of corner kicks and offensive opportunities over the next seven minutes.

“We’re going to continue to focus on our width defending, our box marking,” Adams said. “The other thing we have to be better at is clearances.”

From the other end of the field, Proulx watched as all of those attempts fell short. Her 14 saves had provided the Orange with another opportunity to secure their first win of the season. But SU still failed to capitalize.

Published on October 23, 2020 at 12:33 am

Contact Skyler: skrivera@syr.edu | @skylerriveraa