Maresca Piles up Saves, Pios Fall to No. 8 Syracuse, 6-1

Saturday, August 26

Burlington, Vt. / Winder Field

2 p.m.

Sacred Heart

(0-2)

No. 8 Syracuse

(1-0)

Sacred Heart

Syracuse

Photo by: Greg Vasil

Maresca Piles up Saves, Pios Fall to No. 8 Syracuse, 6-1

8/26/2023 4:04:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Ray notches first collegiate point with assist

By: Matthew Janik

BURLINGTON, Vt. (August 26, 2023) – Ally Frampton (Somerdale, N.J.) scored her first goal in nearly two years on Saturday afternoon, as the corner unit continued to produce for the Sacred Heart University field hockey team. Otherwise, however, the Pioneers were unable to generate much in the way of offense, as they were outshot 31-3, en route to a 6-1 loss to No. 8 nationally ranked Syracuse, in neutral-site play at Vermont's Moulton Winder Field. Under siege for much of the afternoon, Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) piled up a career-best 14 saves in defeat for SHU.

Syracuse (1-0) – a national quarterfinalist a year ago – jumped out front to stay with a pair of first-quarter goals. In the sixth minute, Pleke van de Pas reversed her stick to fire the ball towards the goal from a sharp angle on the left side. Aiden Drabick was stationed in front of the left post and deflected the ball inside the far post to open the scoring. In the 12^th minute, Olivia Bell jammed in a loose ball out front off a corner play to double the lead.

The highlights of the day for SHU (0-2) came in a lively stretch through the middle of the second quarter. In the 26^th minute, Lizzie Mendrzycki (Hanover Township, Pa.) reversed her stick and picked a shot out of midair at the right post, for a highlight-reel defensive save to deny Lieke Laeggangers of a sure goal.

Less than a minute later, at the other end of the field, the Pios were able to cut the lead in half. The offensive corner unit, which had generated both SHU goals on Friday, converted once again, after running a play for Jaden Ray (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) at the top of the circle. Ray fired from there and picked up an assist for her first collegiate point, after Frampton redirected the ball en route. For Frampton, it was her first goal since Oct. 20, 2021 at Yale.

Syracuse reclaimed the two-goal lead just 72 seconds before halftime, when Charlotte de Vries fired inside the left post from the top of the circle.

The Orange seized control with a pair of third-quarter goals. In the 32^nd minute, de Vries provided an aerial feed to the left post, which Sarah Smalley corralled and finished off on the backhand. In the 45^th minute, Bell once again cleaned things up in the aftermath of a corner for her second goal of the day.

A final goal in the 54^th minute, courtesy of van de Pas, capped the scoring, as Syracuse won going away, 6-1.

Maresca (0-2) was busy throughout the afternoon at the back of the SHU defense. Syracuse peppered her cage with 21 on-target shots, which was the most faced by a SHU goalkeeper since Nov. 1, 2019 at Rider. Maresca turned aside 14 of them, which bested her previous career high of 13, set last fall at Hofstra.

Brooke Borzymowski (1-0) tended the Syracuse net for the first three quarters and stopped two of three shots to pick up the win.

The Pios have a pair of games on the schedule next weekend as well. SHU will visit Colgate on Friday at 4 p.m., before hosting its home opener on Sunday, Sept. 3 against Monmouth, at 3 p.m. at Johnson Field in New Haven.