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No. 15 Syracuse (7-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) picked up its second ACC win of the year against No. 16 Louisville (5-6, 1-2 ACC) 2-1 Friday. The Orange were once again led by Bo van Kempen. The graduate student scored both of SU's goals, bringing her total to eight on the season.
Syracuse threatened early on offense with both Willemijn Boogert and Lieke Leeggangers creating opportunities deep in Louisville territory, but neither finished off strong possessions. This came less than a week after Syracuse failed to score in a 1-0 shootout loss to Duke last Sunday.
Less than three minutes into the contest, Louisville found the back of the net first. Chloe Plumb found Izzy Bianco, who fired the Cardinals' first shot of the game, putting them up 1-0.
From then on, SU turned up its pressure. Over the last few games, Syracuse has let its opponent have sustained periods of possession in its defensive zone. Even in its win against Wake Forest, the Orange didn't create much offense in the first half. After a week of adjustments, SU made it a point of emphasis heading into Friday.
"We like to press hard," SU head coach Lynn Farquhar said postgame. "We like to run after the ball. We knew we had to create more transition (opportunities)."
Farquhar's unit channeled its aggressive playstyle and converted it into opportunities. Although the Orange couldn't connect for most of the first quarter, the team generated strong looks.
"We were better at punching and creating attacking opportunities," Farquhar said.
With under 30 seconds to play in the first quarter, Syracuse's aggressiveness paid off. The Orange earned their second penalty corner of the game, which gave van Kempen a chance to make her mark. The defender has been great on corners for the Orange this season, with a team-leading six goals heading into Friday.
Boogert inbounded the ball while Syracuse initiated a play to get van Kempen open for a one-time shot. When she got the chance, she didn't miss. The drag shot found its way past goalie Brandelynn Heinbaugh to tie the game 1-1.
"The injection was good, the rhythm is there, and then I score those," van Kempen said. "I have in my head where I want to score the goal."
The second period didn't see a ton of action, with both teams battling for possession in the middle of the field. Defensively, SU held Louisville without a shot following Plumb's effort. The Cardinals' goal was their only shot on target all game.
"We stepped up higher on the field to give some pressure earlier," van Kempen said. "They didn't have a chance to get that much in our circle."
The Orange continued to apply pressure throughout the second half, but early out of the break, the SU defense was put to the test. Louisville was awarded three straight penalty corners, firing shots on each attempt. Though Syracuse's defense was up to the challenge, preventing any shots from reaching Louise Pert in goal.
"It was really cool to see all our lines step up at different times," Farquhar said. "Each of our lines took more ownership on just moving the ball."
Following the penalty-corner barrage, Syracuse initiated an attack the other way. Hattie Madden drove upfield, eventually earning a penalty corner with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
It was another chance for van Kempen to come up big. Leeggangers fed Berber Bakermans, who set the ball for van Kempen to take her shot, which she buried to put Syracuse up 2-1.
"She has a demeanor to her... where she looks incredibly composed," Farquhar said. "The way she communicates with her teammates is huge. She does better with pressure."
After taking the lead, Syracuse controlled the pace the rest of the way. Although the Orange missed a couple chances to extend their lead, their pressure stifled the Cardinals. Louisville's offense recorded just four shots the entire day with three of them coming during the three straight penalty corner sequence.
SU's lockdown defense down the stretch helped the Orange to their first ranked victory since defeating then-No. 16 Penn State on Sept. 1.