Florida State forward Jenna Nighswonger started at goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx from the right side of the box. As she neared Proulx, Nighswonger crossed the ball past the SU keeper to the far post where only her teammate could get it. 

Defender Clarke Brown stepped in and cleared the ball for a corner kick. On the ensuing set piece, Proulx was beaten again by a header. This time it was forward Marisa Fischetti who booted the ball away from the goal line and cleared the danger. 

The Orange (2-6-2, 0-2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) used a full defensive effort to blank No. 6 Florida State (9-2-0, 3-2-0) for over 75 minutes before the Seminoles broke through to defeat SU, 1-0. While FSU outshot Syracuse 23-2, better communication and movement within the backline limited the Seminoles to few clear-cut chances, keeping the Orange in the match until the final whistle. 

“This has been our best game so far communicating, picking up players,” sophomore defender Jenna Tivnan said.

Tivnan, along with fellow defenders Shannon Aviza and Taylor Bennett, could be heard throughout the match coordinating the backline and midfield. They’d call out numbers and markings and urged their teammates to constantly check their left and right for FSU bodies. Tivnan also encouraged teammates to cut off passing lanes when they weren’t marking opponents in the midfield. 

The Orange knew the Seminoles liked to keep attackers floating between the backline and the midfield. When they received the ball, they were capable of ruining an undisciplined defense’s shape by playing through balls, Tivnan said. The back four put an extra emphasis on identifying those players and keeping them away from the net. 

For head coach Nicky Adams, it was a far cry from Friday’s 3-0 loss to No. 22 Louisville, in which the Orange played “selfish” defense resulting in too many holes at the back in the defense, she said. 

“I felt like on Friday the lack of energy that we had was very disappointing,” Adams said. “We didn’t have that grit, and it’s something that I thought we had pretty much the whole game today.”

Early on in the match, the defensive adjustments were apparent. Rather than chasing Seminole attackers and defending individually, the back line and midfield packed in tight and moved as one. 

While Florida State controlled 66 percent of possession in the first half, Proulx didn’t have to make a save until the 34th minute. The backline took away every possible shooting lane, passing opponents off to each other like a conveyor belt. 

“Today we really stepped up as a unit,” Adams said. “We were shifting really well together and kept them in front of us.” 

One of the key cogs in that unit was Tivnan, who played nearly the entire match with a noticeable limp following a collision with Nighswonger just two minutes in. She lay on the pitch for a while following the initial hit, then favored her right knee the rest of the game. Earlier in the season, an injury to the same knee caused her to miss multiple matches. 

Tivnan appeared to reaggravate her knee later in the second half, but it was merely a cramp caused by the pressure of her protective wrap, she said. The sophomore still played all 90 minutes, a big help to a Syracuse defensive unit shouldering heavy minutes due to a lack of depth.

“Jenna’s not 100 percent,” Adams said, “She won’t be 100 percent the rest of the season, so day by day, she’s sacrificing for her teammates.” 

The physical style of play on Sunday resulted in 22 fouls issued between the two teams. Tivnan, Fischetti and midfielder Georgia Allen all were limping as a result of a foul at one or more points of the match. Still, the Orange stayed disciplined in their defensive third of the field, unlike against Louisville when a communication error between Bennett and Brown led to the Cardinals first goal.

While SU did ultimately break down in the 74th minute, the Orange joined No. 7 UCLA and No. 19 Wisconsin as the only two teams in the country to hold the Seminoles to just one goal. 

“We worked incredibly today to turn around after Friday,” Allen said, “So to turn around and put in a performance like that, we can be really proud and put our heads high.”

Published on September 29, 2019 at 7:17 pm

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu