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Holden Brown, Virginia’s goalie launched the ball to midfield, aiming for a Cavalier midfielder. Instead of finding cleats cladded with two interlocking swords, the ball missed its target and landed in DeAndre Kerr’s possession.

Kerr drove toward net, bypassing several Virginia defenders for a clear shot on goal. He fired a shot past Brown, notching Syracuse’s first goal of conference play and the game.

Syracuse (3-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) commenced Atlantic Coast Conference play against seven-time conference champion Virginia (2-2, 0-1) on Sept. 10. Entering into the matchup, Syracuse had not won a conference road game since 2019 — a victory against UNC. The Orange opened the game with a goal from Kerr less than six minutes into the match. SU — who entered the game undefeated when scoring first this season — claimed its first conference victory with a 3-1 win over the Cavaliers.

Midway through the first half, Syracuse secured its second goal of the game. The Orange lined up near the goal as Colin Biros took a corner, with graduate student Max Kent standing in anticipation in the middle.

Biros’ kick soared through the air, eventually finding the top of Kent’s head. Kent headed the ball into the back of the net, in between Browns’s left arm and hip, solidifying a 2-0 lead for Syracuse in his first goal with the Orange.

Virginia began to settle in around the 18-minute mark, dropping back and waiting for open space. Leo Afonso received a pass from midfield before sprinting toward net. He crossed a Syracuse defender and tapped the ball into the net, flustering SU’s goalie Lucas Daunhauer.

Daunhauer was playing in starting goalie Russell Shealy’s position, as Shealy was injured in warmups when SU faced Niagara. Still, against Virginia, Daunhauer limited the Cavaliers to just one goal.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Virginia attempted to get as many shots on goal as possible. Afonso received a high pass from midfield, heading a ball that barely missed left of net. But the Cavaliers received a corner kick.

Paul Weise deflected the corner kick, giving Syracuse a chance to break through the Cavaliers’ defense. But SU couldn’t convert and moments later, Virginia midfielder Kevin Ogudugu received the ball near SU’s zone, crossed his defender and took a clean shot. Daunhauer made the save to maintain Syracuse’s 2-1 lead into the second half.

Virginia took a different approach to begin the second half, shooting long attempts toward net. Ogudugu gathered the ball outside the box and shot the ball towards the Syracuse net. Daunhauer dove to his left and tipped the ball off his outstretched hand.

Ogudugu had a similar attempt — wide, just outside of the box — minutes later, but Daunhauer made an identical save, tipping the ball out of bounds.

Daunhauer had numerous saves in the second half which allowed Syracuse to create several scoring opportunities. Biros, a senior transfer, dribbled the ball into the Virginia zone. He passed to Kerr, who stood isolated in front of the net. Kerr received the pass and fired a shot in goal, cementing Syracuse’s 3-1 victory.

As the clock ticked down on the Orange’s first ACC matchup this season, they gathered on the sidelines, waiting to celebrate their first conference road win in two years. The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match and cementing Syracuse’s 3-1 win over Virginia.

Published on September 10, 2021 at 10:19 pm

Contact Skyler: skrivera@syr.edu | @skylerriveraa