While not as physical as that other fall “foot” sport, soccer is a rough game. After losing junior Lindsey Fairweather, and with a handful of starters at half speed, the Massachusetts women’s soccer team lost more than just a 1-0 decision to Syracuse yesterday.
With less than a minute to go in the game, sophomore standout Adair Blyler was rolling in agony on the sideline. UMass coach Jim Rudy said the injury was around the knee area and she was in a lot of pain. Blyler was on her way to the orthopedic surgeon after the game.
The Maroon and White’s last game, on Sept. 10, was a bloodbath as well, as three UMass starters went down. The total number of starters who have suffered injuries is now up to seven.
“We have key starters out and key starters at half speed, but we put them out on the field because we had to,” Rudy said. “Against a good team like Syracuse, but we tried to splice it together and we lost on sort of a weird goal. They didn’t score a good [goal].
“We had people out there who weren’t ready to play today,” Rudy said. “Maybe, we let Syracuse’s reputation get to us, because we got many, many balls open at midfield, which is the start of the attack and just misconnected. Our players just threw away ball after ball after ball.”
The only goal on the day was scored in the 34th minute by Syracuse senior Nina Scalzo, who found the back of an empty net after goaltender Kelly Nigh collided with a defender on her way to take away the cross. Senior Molly McManus tallied an assist on the goal.
The Orangewomen (4-1-0) took over the possession game throughout the contest. By controlling the ball, SU was on the constant attack as they outshot the Minutewomen (2-1-1, 1-0 Atlantic 10), 25-2. Syracuse also received 12 corners, and UMass did not have a corner kick all game.
“We are a possession team and if you give away your first ball every time you pass midfield, you aren’t going to get to the goal. I don’t think we got a corner or any free kicks. We had one shot and it hit the [crossbar], though it was a good one.
“They also had a system that was also real different than what we are used to seeing with three central midfielders. We tried to take care of it, but we just didn’t do a good enough job with the package we had on the field.”
UMass had three promising opportunities to score in the game, but only managed one shot on goal. At the 36:40 mark, senior forward Erin Lilly sent a cross to the front of the net. Blyler fought her way through a pile and was able to flick the ball off the volley, but only hit the crossbar. The Maroon and White were not able to get another shot on net for the rest of the game.
The next closest opportunity came eight minutes later, when Lilly crossed another ball into the box, then sophomore midfielder Morgan Czaja flicked the ball towards the left side post. SU goalie Emily Kowalczyk bobbled the ball on the ground, as it rolled closer toward to the goal. As the ball approached the goal line, sophomore Lindsey Bellini made a sliding chance at a goal, only to knock the ball out of bounds.
The last opportunity came in the second half on a similar play. Off a cross from Blyler, the ball sailed only inches over freshman Stephaine Barrett’s head and into the hands of the keeper. The Minutewomen were unable to get the ball into the box for the rest of the half.
Nigh, one of the top goalies in the nation, continued her steady play. Nigh came up with seven saves against a heavy opposing attack, including a rocket in the second half to keep the game in reach. After giving up one goal, Nigh continues to average one goal against on the season. Her counterpart, Kowalczyk, had an easy night with only one save.
“I don’t like to lose, but it’s important to take out positives out of the game. Now, I think we realize what we need to do to win. It’s more about having a winning mentality and realizing our potential. We need to step it up and know that this isn’t going to be a walk in the park.”
