Syracuse has its first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season.

Looking to snap its three-game losing streak to start ACC play, No. 13 Syracuse (9-3, 1-3 ACC) dominated No. 5 Louisville (10-3, 3-2) in nearly every statistical category on its way to a 3-1 win Saturday in front of 303 fans at J.S. Coyne Stadium.

Getting two goals from freshman midfielder/forward Laura Hurff and one goal from junior forward Emma Russell, the Orange was able to pull away from the Cardinals early.

“The game plan for today was very good,” head coach Ange Bradley said. “The kids believed in it and were very aggressive. The big thing is that they executed and showed we’re a team capable of competing for an ACC championship.”

At the 27:15 mark of the first half, Hurff deflected a shot from freshman back Annalena Ulbrich, who was able to take the set shot following a yellow card against Cardinals midfielder Stephanie Byrne.

While the goal counted, there was confusion throughout the stadium as to whether it should have counted or not. Hurff’s goal wasn’t announced until well after halftime as the confusion was sorted out.

Ulbrich, whose power shot has been vastly successful all year on set pieces, said she was looking for a deflection from the onset, but didn’t know if it hit a stick or not.

“I was looking for a deflection,” Ulbrich said. “Fortunately it went in and Laura knew where to be.”

Just over 10 minutes later, Russell buried a shot into the top right corner over Cardinals goalkeeper Sydney King. Junior midfielder Alyssa Manley started the Orange counter by streaking down the middle of the field before feeding Russell for the 2-0 Syracuse lead.

“Once I saw the goalie go down, I knew I had it,” Russell said. “She goes down early when under pressure. I saw Lauren (Brooks) on the back post, and I saw Lieke (Visser) driving baseline, but I just stayed patient.”

Hurff added her second goal of the game – and third of the season – more than 10 minutes later, all but sealing the game for the Orange. With Brooks trapped along the right baseline, Hurff was able to slide in front of the goal, lifting the ball into the top right on a slick pass from Brooks.

On the day, the Orange outshot the Cardinals 19-7 and attempted six penalty corners to four.

“Our counter attack was really good, and our spacing was good as well,” Russell said. “It brings a lot more speed to the team offensively. It was a great performance offensively against an ACC team like Louisville.”

After struggling early in the year adjusting to the Orange style of play offensively, Hurff said she’s much more comfortable offensively, which led to her big day for Syracuse.

“We’re coming out stronger than ever,” Hurff said. “October has been a huge month for us, so we’re just going to keep building as a team.”

Published on October 11, 2014 at 8:10 pm