Bryan Murphy
Senior midfielder Jenna Kalwa, 3, defends an attack from a Boston College player in the 0-1 loss against Boston College on Sunday September 27. Kalwa played 79 minutes in the loss at Dail Soccer Stadium.
The NC State women’s soccer team lost its seventh straight match Sunday afternoon on the road at Syracuse, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Orange.
The Orange (5-10-1, 1-6-0 ACC) entered Sunday’s contest in a similar position as the Wolfpack (4-11-0, 0-6-0 ACC), having lost its six previous matches against ACC competitors. NC State has not seen a win since Sept. 13, and Syracuse earned its first win Sunday since Sept. 17.
The Wolfpack back line slipped just 50 seconds into the game when junior midfielder Emma Firenze slid the ball in the back of the net past freshman goalkeeper Sydney Wootten. Twenty minutes later, the Orange would double the lead on a goal from junior forward Stephanie Skilton. The third and final goal of the game came in the 47th minute of play from sophomore forward Eva Gordon.
Things did not look good for NC State on either end of the field, the back line allowing Syracuse 14 shots and the forwards only recording a total of four shots. Offensive firepower is an area ‘Cuse has struggled with this season, and it’s an issue NC State has dealt with all year as well.
Gordon had a big game for the Orange, assisting Firenze in her first goal of the season in the first 50 seconds of action and then scoring herself in the second half. She is now tied for second on the leaderboard for Syracuse in goals and assists with two each.
It’s no surprise that Syracuse’s second goal was scored by Skilton, the team’s leading goal scorer. Skilton now has four goals on the season and has recorded 17 total shots.
The offensive chances were few and far between for the Wolfpack with only one shot taken in the first half of action by senior forward Gentry. The offensive efforts improved slightly in the second half, with Gentry recording her second shot and two shots credited to redshirt sophomore Jackie Stengel and redshirt junior forward Alexa Allen.
Already down three goals with 30 minutes left in the match, NC State head coach Tim Santoro made the decision to pull Wootten from the goal and put in redshirt junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Stelljes. Stelljes escaped the game without having to make a single save in her 30 minutes on the field.
The Wolfpack will return home after three games on the road, hosting No. 6 Clemson Thursday night at Dail Soccer Stadium, followed by Louisville Oct. 25 and the rescheduled No. 2 Virginia contest Oct. 28.