#3 Field Hockey Cruises By #16 Wake, 5-2

Saturday, October 26

Syracuse, N.Y.

1 p.m.

Syracuse University

(13-2, 3-2)

Wake Forest

(10-7, 0-5)

Team	1	2	Final F
Wake Forest	0	2	2
Syracuse	2	3	5

Emma Russell scored two goals to lead the Orange.

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

10/26/2013 3:43:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

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Video: First Half Highlights | Bradley Interview | Jecko & Russell Interviews
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Sunday vs. Cornell (2 p.m.): Live Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Emma Russell scored two goals and Karlee Farr had a goal and an assist to lead No. 3 Syracuse field hockey (13-2, 3-2 ACC) to its 43^rd straight home victory, beating No. 16 Wake Forest (10-7, 0-5 ACC), 5-2, on Saturday at J.S. Coyne Stadium. Jess Jecko was strong in goal for SU, making seven saves.

The victory moves the Orange into a three-way tie for second in the ACC standings with No. 2 North Carolina and No. 8 Duke at 3-2 with one game left in conference play. Syracuse closes out the regular season at home against the Tar Heels on Nov. 2 and holds a tie-breaker against the Blue Devils due to its 2-1 double-overtime win at Duke on Oct. 11.

The Orange set the tone early on a chilly Saturday at Coyne Stadium that saw temperatures in the mid-40s. Junior Lauren Brooks opened the scoring in the 12^th minute when she took a pass from senior Leonie Geyer and unleashed a terrific reverse-stick shot from the top of the circle that beat Wake goalie Valerie Dahmen (7 saves) high stick side for her 10^th goal of the season. The assist was Geyer's team-best 12^th of the year and 41^st of her career.

Just 55 seconds later, Russell netted her 10^th goal of the season, making a steal at the 25-yard line and beating Dahmen one-on-one with a reverse-stick move to make it 2-0.

The Orange would take that 2-0 lead into the half, despite being outshot, 6-3, in the opening 35 minutes.

Russell picked up where she left off early in the second, scoring her second of the game and 11^th of the season just 3:13 into the second stanza, working a give-and-go with Farr on a two-on-one to make it 3-0.

The Demon Deacons got on the board in the 43^rd minute on a Kari Walkley goal as she knocked in the rebound of a Molly Murphy shot, making it 3-1, but the Orange extended its lead to 4-1 just over a minute later when Farr drove home the rebound of her own shot for her eighth goal of the season. The freshman has been on fire of late, scoring in five-straight games and totaling seven goals in those five contests.

Wake Forest cut its deficit to two when Taylor Rhea scored her 12^th goal of the season with a shot from the left side of the circle with 11:51 remaining, but the Demon Deacons would draw no closer as Serra Degnan scored added another insurance goal with 11:43 remaining, taking a pass from senior Anna Crumb and splitting two defenders before beating Dahmen with a blast from the top of the circle for her third of the season.

The assist was the first of the season for the senior defender Crumb and came with a large contingent from her hometown of Greene, N.Y. in the stands. Besides Crumb playing for the Orange, two Wake Forest players, Christine Conroe and Emily Conroe, are from Greene.

Wake Forest held the edge in shots overall, 17-14, and in penalty corners, 5-1.

The Orange remains home to host Cornell in the final non-conference game of the regular season on Sunday at 2 p.m.