Orange Host No. 13 Duke in ACC Opener Sunday

Syracuse (3-5-0, 0-0-0 ACC) vs. #13 Duke (6-1-1, 0-0-0 ACC)
Game Details	1 p.m. \| Sunday, Sept. 16 Syracuse, N.Y. SU Soccer Stadium
Game Coverage	Live Coverage: Stats \| Watch Twitter: @cusewsoc Instagram: @cusewsoc
Syracuse Links	Game Notes News Roster Schedule Statistics
Duke Links	News Roster Schedule Statistics

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A new season starts Sunday inside SU Soccer Stadium, when the Syracuse women's soccer team hosts Duke at 1 p.m. in the first Atlantic Coast Conference match of the year. The match will be televised on ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN.

LAST TIME OUT
The Orange suffered heartbreak Thursday night against Kent State.

Sophomore midfielder/forward Kate Hostage's team-high fourth goal of the season in the 41st minute gave Syracuse an early lead. The Orange held that lead throughout the majority of the second half until Kent State's Isabelle Mihail took over the match.

Mihail scored the equalizer in the 80th minute before hitting the game-winning goal in double overtime to topple the Orange, 2-1.

HOSTAGE SCORES WITH A PURPOSE
Two of Hostage's team-leading four goals are game-winners.

She headed home the match-winning goal in the 64th minute at UConn to give 'Cuse a 2-1 win. Her goal off a penalty kick in the 27th minute against St. John's was the lone score in Syracuse's 1-0 win.

"She's dangerous," head coach Phil Wheddon said. "I think the biggest compliment I can give her is that she's a 'scouting-report player.' She's a player that opponents have to look at on their scouting report and say, 'Watch out for her.'"

In addition to her team-high four goals, Hostage leads the team in points with eight.

A LOOK AROUND THE CONFERENCE
The ACC has five teams listed among the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Top 25, including three teams ranked among the top six. Florida State is No. 2, followed by No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 North Carolina, No. 13 Duke and No. 17 NC State.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
No. 13 Duke enters the contest with a 6-1-1 overall record and rides a five-match winning streak.

In last season's match-up, Syracuse lost 2-0 against then-ranked No. 4 Duke at SU Soccer Stadium. The Orange are 0-2-1 all-time against the Blue Devils, previously battling to a 2-2 draw in a 2013 match-up in Syracuse.

HEAR IT FROM COACH WHEDDON
"It's a great opportunity as a coach to coach against the best teams. I think our non-conference schedule has prepared us, and I'm looking at [Sunday] as the start of a new season. We'll hit the reset button and look ahead."

"With Duke and all these ACC teams, we can talk about history, but what it comes down to is what happens on the day. They'll be a ball-possession team, they have some great pieces, but they've also conceded goals in the early part of the season. They can be broken down, and we need to be brave and intelligent about what we're doing."

WHAT LIES AHEAD
The Orange continue the ACC portion of their 2018 schedule on the road next week. Syracuse travels to Boston College Thursday before playing at Louisville Sunday.

For complete coverage of Syracuse women's soccer, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Women's Soccer), Twitter (@CuseWSOC) and Instagram (@CuseWSOC).

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Players Mentioned

Kate Hostage

Syracuse University Athletics