SYRACUSE, N.Y. – When you're playing Cards, a pair is always a good place to start.
Quirine Comans picked up a pair of goals Friday night under the lights as No. 12 Syracuse University field hockey knocked off the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals 3-2 at J.S. Coyne Stadium, remaining unbeaten at home this season.
CHAMP HISTORY: Every DI field hockey title winner since 1981
The Orange (13-3, 3-2 ACC) picked up the big league win thanks to book-ending goals from Comans, who leads 'Cuse with 14 tallies to her credit. Syracuse fought back, trailing 2-1 with 13 minutes to play before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to grab the win. Willemijn Boogert and Eefke van den Nieuwenhof added a goal and an assist each. Brooke Borzymowski stopped three Cardinal chances.
No. 4 Louisville had goals from Katie Schneider and Aimee Plumb, the latter converting on a penalty stroke. Sasha Elliot made nine saves against the potent Orange attack in her 58 minutes of work before the Cardinals pulled her for an extra attacker.
How it happened
- In a back-and-forth game, neither side broke through until Comans cashed in her first in the 43rd minute as the scoring ace controlled the ball inside after a defender tipped the ball right to Comans, who then chipped in a shot over a sprawled Elliot.
- Two minutes later the Cardinals responded on Schneider's sixth of the season, with Mattie Tabor getting the assist.
- Just two minutes into the final quarter, Louisville was awarded a penalty stroke that Plumb converted to put the visitors up 2-1 with just 13 minutes to play.
- Using a quick strike-mentality, Syracuse responded three minutes later on a penalty corner. Van den Nieuwenhof took the initial shot, which was blocked, before slipping a pass inside to Boogert for the tap-in goal to tie the game 2-2.
- The Orange went all in in the final five minutes, playing short-handed after a green card. After the 'Cuse defense forced a turnover, the Orange got back in transition as Charlotte de Vries split between two Cardinals and had a one-on-one shot. While Elliot was there for the save, Comans was ready to clean up and score the game-winning goal with four minutes left on the clock.
- The Orange backline fended off a last-minute penalty corner with 33 seconds left to secure the team's eighth win at home this season.
SCORES: See the full DI field hockey scoreboard
Behind the numbers
- Offensively, it was an even contest through the first 45 minutes. Both teams scored, Louisville had seven shots, the Orange had six. But in the fourth, Syracuse controlled the pace, taking seven shots, six of which were on goal and two were buried.
- The Cardinals had six penalty corners while the Orange managed five, four of which came in the second half.
- Comans raised her season goal total to 14, tied for the 17th-most in a single season in program history, drawing even with the likes of Roos Weers, Jill Groff, Kelly Larkin, and the recently honored Julie Williamson, whose jersey was retired at Coyne two weeks ago.
- Brooke Bozymowski made three saves in the win, helping the Orange remain unblemished at home with an 8-0 record. Prior to the Schneider goal, Syracuse had not allowed a goal at Coyne Stadium since Sept.30 against Duke, a run of five home games without surrendering a goal. That span covered 355 minutes of action at J.S. Coyne Stadium.
- Syracuse leveled its record to 8-8 against ranked Louisville teams, including a dominant 6-1 record at home against top 25 Cardinals. Head coach Ange Bradley won the 108th game of her Orange tenure over a ranked team, including an 11-7 mark against fourth-ranked foes. Syracuse is 5-3 this season against top 25 opponents.
- Maybe coincidence, maybe not: Syracuse improved to 7-1 in its first game after a Taylor Swift album was released (Midnights was released at midnight on Friday).
