Syracuse, Cornell Draw in Tense Match
Syracuse fought to a draw today against Cornell University at the SU Soccer Stadium. The Orange had a few opportunities during the game, but none were put into the net. The closest opportunity for Syracuse was by Pauline Machtens. Machtens took a shot with about 10 minutes to go in the first half. Her shot barely went over the crossbar and rolled down the back of the goal.
Matchens had another opportunity late in the game. Senior Telly Vunipola was fouled just outside of the box. Matchens took the penalty kick with 5 minutes left in regulation time and barely missed left of the goal.
The match got heated in extra time. After a foul was called on Cornell, the Cornell player shoved freshman Grace Franklin. Tensions had also been rising throughout the game between the coaches and the referees. Coach Nicky Adams said some calls may have been missed.
“I thought Telly (Vunipola) got shoved pretty hard, so I was surprised that wasn’t called,” Adams said about a close call in the box in extra time.
Syracuse had 10 corner kicks for the game and 9 shots. Goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx had another strong performance with 3 saves and Proulx almost had a giveaway in the box that would have led to a goal but she was able to control the ball before the Cornell attacker reached it.
Syracuse has dominated the overall series against Cornell since their first match in 1997. The Orange are 9-0-3 against Cornell, never having lost a match against them.
The tie ends the Orange’s three game winning streak. Syracuse now goes to 4-1-1 for the season but they have not lost a match since August 26th. The Orange travels to Storrs to face off against University of Connecticut on Sunday.