Goalie Emily Kowalczyk and Miami midfielder Britney Butcher collided in the goal box, and the game changed.

The momentum the Syracuse women’s soccer team had built up through a game-tying goal in its game Sunday vanished after referees gave Kowalczyk a red card and awarded Miami a penalty kick.

The penalty proved to be lethal when Miami’s Lindsey Yach scored on the kick to give Miami a one-goal lead and eventual 2-1 win. Syracuse’s loss Sunday in Coral Gables, Fla., increased its winless streak to four games. SU has not won since Oct. 6.

‘I was inside the 18-(yard line) and she was a little outside the 18.’ Kowalczyk said. ‘She pushed the ball wide, but kept going. She just fell over me.

‘I don’t think anybody understood the call.’

After the loss at Miami (9-6-0, 3-1-0 Big East), SU will need more than luck in order to qualify for the Big East Tournament. The Orangewomen need one Big East win to gain entry in the tournament. With one Big East game remaining – this Saturday at No. 25 Connecticut – the Orangewomen have waited until the last minute to clinch their berth.

‘The team is playing well as a whole.’ Kowalczyk said. ‘Luck just isn’t going our way.’

Since backup goalie Shannon Myers was injured, midfielder Kristina Cristofori was forced to play goal for the last eight minutes of the game.

Fatigue is a large factor as the end of SU’s season nears. SU is on the tail end of a four-game road trip that includes three games in seven days.

‘We have a tough schedule.’ Kowalczyk said. ‘There are a lot of road games, and we play on both weekdays and weekends. When we get to the end of the season, we just have to play on adrenaline.’

But adrenaline was not enough for the Orangewomen on Sunday. The lone SU goal was scored by Cristofori in the second half. It was her sixth goal of the season.

The disappointing week also hurt Syracuse’s ranking in the polls. The Orangewomen, previously stuck at No. 3 for weeks, fell to No.8 in Soccer Buzz Magazine’s Northeast Poll.

It was the latest of close losses for the Orangewomen (8-6-1, 2-2-1). Earlier this season, SU lost in the second overtime to Rutgers, 1-0, and also lost, 3-2, in double overtime to Dartmouth last Wednesday.

SU hoped to capitalize on its opponents to get national attention. Instead, it is pushed to the brink of ending its season early.

‘It’s not fun to keep losing close games.’ Kowalczyk said. ‘We need to win at UConn.’

Published on October 20, 2003 at 12:00 pm