Just two minutes into its second match against a ranked opponent this season, Syracuse found itself in a familiar situation.

Louisville forward Delaney Snyder received a through ball and ran at goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx. As Proulx charged at her to close the angle, Snyder slotted the ball past her off the right post and in.

The Orange’s animated head coach, Nicky Adams, buried her chin in the palms of her hands in frustration. She got up from her chair near midfield and headed toward the dugout, letting assistant coach Kelly Madsen instruct the team momentarily in an eventual 3-0 loss on Sept. 27.

In the SU program’s first 21 years of existence, the Orange (3-11-2, 1-7-1 Atlantic Coast) were 0-45-8 against ranked opponents. The Louisville game was no different, and this year SU is 0-4 against top-25 teams with No. 1 Virginia looming this Thursday. While the squad needs more depth and talent via recruiting and the transfer portal, Adams said, she wants Thursday’s season finale to be an example of a complete game against a ranked opponent for years to come.

“Grateful it’s just one game this weekend, right?” Adams said. “I think we’re proving that our Thursday night games are a heck of a lot better than our Sundays.”

As Adams alluded to, the Orange’s last two wins have come on a Thursday. This past Thursday, though, SU took North Carolina State to overtime before losing 3-2. The Orange then made the 27-minute drive to Durham, where the Orange lost 4-1 to No. 9 Duke on Sunday. They enter the match against UVA on a four-game losing streak.

“Our energy wasn’t where it needed to be and we just got defeated mentally and it showed on the field,” junior defender Clarke Brown said.

The main culprit behind a lack of energy is a shortage of depth. Adams intends to remedy this issue next year with the addition of transfers and international talent.

Since SU hired Adams in February, it won’t be until 2021 that her recruits will become an integral part of the program. Adams and her staff are looking for players that are physically, mentally and athletically strong enough to compete in a conference that currently features eight ranked teams out of 14.

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This current stretch that the Orange are ending started two weekends ago with No. 15 Clemson and included No. 9 Duke and now No. 1 Virginia. Though SU is already eliminated from the postseason, current juniors hope a competitive match against UVA impacts the program for the future.

“You want to try and set the standard for the incoming classes,” Proulx said, “or just to show example to the class right now that just came in.”

Saturday is Syracuse’s final game and final collegiate game ever for five seniors, including starters Georgia Allen, Taylor Bennett and Sydney Brackett.

“We’re all excited and ready to do it for the seniors,” Brown said, “It’s their last game. We just gotta bring the energy and all be on the same page.”

Both Brown and Proulx said their preparation for Virginia has been the same as every other game, though. Like other ranked opponents, the team is focusing on attacking in transition when they turn the Cavaliers over.

This conservative strategy only works for so long. The Orange preserved a 0-0 tie with No. 5 Florida State into the 75th minute before ultimately losing 1-0 on Sept. 29. They took a 1-0 lead against Duke in the first half, but were ultimately outshot 20-7 in a 4-1 loss.

Adams and her staff have been evaluating the Cavaliers from a distance all season. Adams conceded that it’s “hard to find weaknesses” with No. 1 Virginia, but they’ve broken down film, taken notes and talked with opposing coaches to create a game plan going into the season finale.

“We’re setting the foundation of this program,” Proulx said, “and next year I see us beating those teams and the next couple years as well. We can just go forward from here.”

Published on October 30, 2019 at 9:29 pm

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu