Syracuse women’s soccer: Orange enters ACC play in top gear

If the Orange can win a few of their tough ACC matchups, we could be seeing a historic season for the program.

The good times keep on rolling for the Syracuse Orange women’s soccer team as they torched St. Bonaventure 3-0 on Senior Night to improve their record to 6-1-1 on the season.

Last time we checked in on the Orange, they had just thrashed Mercyhurst 5-0 to maintain their undefeated run. Although a road loss to Cornell has thrown a bit of a hiccup into that record, bounce back wins against Binghamton and St. Bonaventure show that this team might just be cooking up the formula for success.

After eight non-conference games to open the campaign, the Orange will head to SMU on Thursday evening to start their run of ten straight ACC matchups. This run includes an away day at reigning National Champions, #3 Florida State, and home dates with #2 UNC and #9 Notre Dame.

SMU will be no pushover for the Orange either, as they have already tested themselves against top teams like Texas and TCU. Admittedly, the Orange have not endured a difficult schedule so far, playing no ranked teams and some relative ‘minnows’ including Siena and Binghamton.

The record is nice, but the real measure of the Orange’s quality and ability to potentially make the NCAA Tournament will be seen when facing off against the toughest teams in the nation. The Orange have finished in the bottom three of the ACC standings in each season since 2020, but the wave they are currently riding gives reason to hope that this season may be different.

In fact, with six wins already on the books, the Orange would only need three wins in ACC play to enjoy their winningest season in over a decade. This achievement alone would be a reason to celebrate, but with the talent this team boasts, it’s arguable that they should be pushing for even more.

Statistically, Ava Uribe has been the star player in a balanced Orange attack. The former Penn State player missed last season through injury but hasn’t looked at all out of place for the Orange attack, with two goals and four assists so far through eight games.

On top of Uribe’s production, the Orange have seven other players with two or more goal contributions.

Although the Orange’s offensive output has been solid, the defense has been even more impressive. The Orange have only conceded three goals in eight games, in large part thanks to the solid defense marshaled by Kylen Grant, Kate Murphy, and standout freshman Anna Croyle.

As she did last year, Shea Vanderbosch in the SU net has stood on her head on multiple occasions to make the difference, and she currently boasts an absolutely stupid 89% save rate, one of the top marks in the nation.

This solid defense looks to be the most significant improvement from last year when SU conceded 12 in their eight non-conference games. A 75% reduction could be linked to the decrease in injuries on the side and, therefore, an increased continuity between players.

Head Coach Nicky Adams has named similar starting lineups in basically every match, increasing this continuity as the team has shown a consistent game plan, which could not have been said last year. This consistency could see her guide the team to their best record since she took the reigns in 2019

However, as mentioned before, things could fall apart as Orange enters its difficult ACC schedule. The team will have to lean on the defensive solidity that they have shown so far in order to compete with some of the most potent attacks in the nation.

SMU will be a good first test for the Orange as they are not the most difficult opponent, but will still be a bit of a step up in class from previous matchups. Time will tell how much success this team can achieve, and we will be watching every step of the way.

Stay tuned for all updates on Syracuse soccer here at Nunes Magician.