Courtney Brosnan lay motionless on the field. Her hands blanketed her eyes. The referee halted play as the Syracuse players, who were sprinting forward for the counter-attack, rushed back to Brosnan’s side.

Just before, Hokies midfielder Kristina Diana had a wide-open shot on net, with a chance to give Virginia Tech a 2-0 lead. Brosnan soared to her right and deflected the ball into play. She crashed to the ground and screeched in pain. A Virginia Tech player booted the ball back toward the net, but Brosnan desperately flailed her arms up to push the ball out of play.

Brosnan had made a remarkable save but there was no applause at SU Soccer Stadium. The crowd was silent, unsure of the goalie’s condition. Backup goalie Annette Cappellino sprung out of her seat and began warming up on the sidelines to possibly replace Brosnan, who has six shutouts on the year.

Five minutes later, Brosnan stood back up. Her teammates crowded along the sideline. But suddenly, the trainers departed Brosnan’s side. She shook her shoulders around and returned to her position.

“Courtney was in a goal line scramble and she stayed down for a bit,” coach Phil Wheddon said. “She’s a tough player and obviously I hoped she was good to go and she was.”

Although Syracuse (7-5-2, 0-4-1 Atlantic Coast) fell to Virginia Tech (9-4-1, 1-3-1) 2-1, Brosnan fought through an injury and kept the Orange alive. She notched five saves overall. She wasn’t made available to the media after the game because she was receiving treatment.

Brosnan has dealt with recurring knee injuries since her freshman season. She dislocated her right kneecap during a club match just months before her freshman year. Last November, she injured it again and was forced to undergo surgical kneecap realignment.

The specifics of her in-game injury and her status for Sunday’s game against Florida State have not been disclosed.

Brosnan was quickly challenged by a dominating Hokies attack after her injury. In the 57th minute, Virginia Tech midfielder Madi Conyers kicked a through ball to the center of the box. Hokies forward Chandler McDaniel powered a volley but Brosnan jumped to made the save.

“She made some big saves tonight and kept us in the game,” Wheddon said. “I’ve said it again and again, she’s one of the best in the ACC.”

When Syracuse tied the game up on a Virginia Tech own-goal in the 70th minute, Virginia Tech came back relentless on the attack. It dominated possession, firing three shots on net. However, none could get past Brosnan.

After a foul in the penalty box in the 82nd minute, Virginia Tech’s Candace Cephers had the chance to give her team the lead on a penalty kick. Brosnan appeared light on her feet and sprung her body outward to make a diving save.

Despite the injury, Brosnan made athletic plays in net that kept Syracuse in the game, as the offense failed to manufacture a goal of its own.

“I don’t know what the injury is,” SU forward Alex Lamontagne said. “But she was amazing tonight and we’re really proud of her.”

Published on October 6, 2016 at 11:38 pm

Contact Byron: brtollef@syr.edu