Syracuse University
Providence
Orange Off to Best Start in BIG EAST Play in School History
9/23/2010 6:49:39 PM | Women's Soccer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore Alyscha Mottershead scored her first goal of the season with 12 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Syracuse women's soccer team a 1-0 victory at Providence on Thursday, Sept. 23. The win improves the Orange's conference record to 2-0, its best start in BIG EAST play in school history.
Syracuse, which extended its unbeaten streak to five games, improves its overall record to 5-3-3. The five wins match the Orange's win total in both 2008 and 2009. Providence is now 6-2-1.
“It was a tale of two halves,” said Syracuse head coach Phil Wheddon. “We struggled to find our rhythm in the first half, but in the second half we were able to string some passes together and keep possession. We stayed organized and stayed disciplined. We had quality opportunities to score. We did a good job defending and causing Providence to turn the ball over, especially in the second half. The more we found our rhythm, the more dangerous we became.”
The game-winning goal came in the 89th minute when the ball was played into sophomore Jenna Rickan. Rickan played the ball to Mottershead, who battled two defenders at the right side of the 6-yard box. Mottershead found space and put her shot in the upper corner of the goal to give the Orange the victory.
Both teams had scoring chances in the first half as the Friars generated seven shots, while Syracuse had four. Each squad successfully defended against a corner kick, and freshman goalkeeper Britttany Anghel made four saves for the Orange in the opening stanza, including a key save off a header in the opening minutes to keep the game scoreless.
Providence outshot Syracuse, 15-9, and earned four corner kicks to two for SU. Anghel finished with five saves and recorded her fourth shutout of the season. That total ties for eighth on Syracuse's single-season record list and seventh on the career leader list. Jill Schott made one save for the Friars.
The Orange returns to the SU Soccer Stadium on Sunday to host Connecticut at 1 p.m. Admission to the game is free. Live audio and video of the game will be available on Orange All Access on SUathletics.com. Subscriptions to Orange All Access are available at daily, monthly and yearly rates.
