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Wake Forest had allowed just one goal in its first 900 minutes off the season, the best mark in the NCAA. Syracuse had been struggling to score for weeks. In their previous four games, the Orange scored just one goal.

Sunday’s game went just as the statistics expected it would, as Syracuse (4-5-1, 0-3 Atlantic Coast) struggled to connect with its forwards and lost 2-0. The Orange entered the game with a plan of pressing the Demon Deacons (10-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast), but problems in transition and positional play squashed nearly every Syracuse attack before it began.

Wake Forest began the year with 738 shutout minutes, a school record and goalie Kaitlyn Parks ranks second in the nation with just one goal allowed in 866 minutes. The only goal the Demon Deacons allowed all season came in a 1-0 loss to No. 7 Virginia on Sept. 17. For the eighth time in eleven games this season, Wake Forest held its opponent to two or fewer shots on target.

In practice this week, SU head coach Nicky Adams said her team focused on beating Wake Forest in transition because the Demon Deacons hadn’t faced many high-pressure teams like Syracuse this season. Syracuse followed through on that and it began the match with intense pressure on Wake Forest’s midfield. As soon as the Orange lost the ball, they sprinted to recover it.

But even early on, Syracuse could not progress the ball into the box without losing it. Although SU was comfortable in possession, it could not advance the ball to its forwards. Whenever the Orange made runs down the sideline, they were caught by the Demon Deacons’ quick defenders.

Wake Forest employed a zonal marking scheme, meaning that Syracuse was not pressured on the ball. Although they had time on the ball, Adams seemed disappointed with Syracuse’s offensive runs. 

“It’s not like we didn’t have opportunities in transition,” Adams said. “When you’re not playing the proper foot or the movement’s not there you’re not going to have too many opportunities in front of the goal.”

In the 15th minute, Syracuse had its best transition run. Koby Commandant received the ball in the midfield and ran straight through Wake Forest’s defense before dishing it to Meghan Root at the top of the box. Root slotted the ball to Kylen Grant streaking through the box. Grant then slid the ball into the right corner of the goal, but the play was flagged for offsides and the goal was nullified. 

Just five minutes later, Wake Forest scored its first goal, a deflating blow to Syracuse’s hard work in winning possession. Down a goal, the Orange tried even harder to pressure the Demon Deacons, Root said. 

“We were gonna press, we were gonna try to get higher and win the ball up higher so we can attack. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot not connecting passes there,” Root said.

Aysia Cobb played a career-high 54 minutes at forward, but she was frequently disconnected from the remainder of Syracuse’s offense. She didn’t receive the ball frequently, but when she did, she often ran straight into the defense without an outlet to pass to. 

Syracuse tried to beat Wake Forest in transition, but it couldn’t set up the overloads needed to create opportunities near the goal, Adams said. Instead of being patient on the ball while running in transition to make two-on-one chances, SU players passed the ball too soon, leaving attackers stranded and surrounded by defenders. 

“Wake wasn’t high pressing anybody. Everybody had time,” Adams said. “It’s more ‘Hey stop,’ look around what they’re doing and maybe you can receive the ball without any pressure.”

Especially in the first half, SU’s two holding midfielders were often left out of position on the same side of the field. It meant Syracuse didn’t have a passing outlet from the middle of the field to drive an attack. 

Adams also pointed to Syracuse’s “dangerous” set pieces as a way to beat Wake Forest’s seemingly impenetrable defense. The Orange won 12 free kicks and six corners, but they could not score despite several good deliveries by Natalie Weidenbach.

Heading into back-to-back matchups with Duke and Florida State — the top two teams in the nation — Adams said Syracuse needs to change its attacking philosophy to rely on more players. 

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to depend on just three or four that can just go-go. It’s going to be more of a unit-based attack.”

Published on September 26, 2021 at 7:32 pm

Contact Connor: cpignate@syr.edu