SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure women's soccer team dropped a 3-0 contest to Syracuse on the road Sunday afternoon. The meeting was the first between the Bonnies and the Orange in the sport of women's soccer in 12 years.
St. Bonaventure and SU exchanged possession back and forth throughout the opening minutes, but neither team could finish in the final third during the early going.
Syracuse (6-1-1) got on the board first, scoring off a set piece in the 27
th minute. A free kick at the bottom of the 18-yard box was sent across the goal and into the back of the net.
The Orange added another goal in the 34
th minute.
After 45 minutes of play, Bona keeper
Chiara Gottinger posted three saves.
The second half was more of the same with Syracuse adding a third goal to their tally in the 58
th minute of play.
St. Bonaventure (1-5-1) recorded its best scoring chances in the 54
th and 82
nd minutes.
Freshman
Maya Marolly sent in a high-arching ball from the top of the box, but the SU keeper collected the shot 10 minutes into the second half.
Alessia Donia took a look at net in the final minutes of play, finding an opening at the top of the box and sending in a low shot, again saved by the SU goalie.
Play was suspended in the 84
th minute due to a Syracuse injury and the game was ruled official.
Gottinger finished her first start of the year with eight saves.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH DONNY GEORGE
"First, I want to wish Syracuse's player a speedy recovery. I also want to give a big shout out to Coach Nicky Adams and her staff for handling a difficult situation with such professionalism today."
"We knew coming to Syracuse would be a challenge, and it would provide us with an opportunity to learn more about ourselves as a team. In the first half, Syracuse applied a lot of pressure and did well to disrupt our ability to play our game. At halftime, I encouraged the girls to be brave, stay composed, and focus on playing our style. There were moments where we began to see that, and there were a few times where I felt we got players into positions where we could really execute our game plan."
"As the game progressed, both teams made adjustments, and I felt the match became more balanced. Although Syracuse remained dangerous in attack, we did a much better job of limiting their chances in the second half. Our group is young, but I have no doubt that today's experience will serve as a valuable opportunity to reflect and grow."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies return home for their final non-conference game of the season vs. Little Three rival Canisius Wednesday. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
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