HAMILTON, N.Y. (9/23/07) – The Syracuse Orange ended the Colgate University women’s soccer unbeaten streak on Sunday, Sept. 23 with a 2-0 victory at Van Doren Field.

 

Syracuse took an early 1-0 lead when it capitalized on the first corner kick of the game. Jen Taormina took the corner on the near side and it bent in towards the goal and went in into the upper 90 at the far post at 3:30.

 

The Orange expanded their lead in the 24th minute when Dana Bergstrom found Amanda Acuri. The ball was batted around inside the goal box and Bergstrom was able to get it out of traffic and back to Acuri who lofted a high shot past goalkeeper Carly Sousa (Darien, Conn.).

 

Syracuse controlled the ball for much of the first half, but shots were even at 10 apiece.

 

Colgate’s best chance of the first half was a header by Christine Walker that went high and was tipped over the cross bar by Eliza Bennett-Hattan with 37:20 on the clock.

 

Colgate entered the second with renewed energy and quickly kept pace with the Orange. The Raiders ended up with six shots, to the Orange’s four.

 

Freshman Anna Baldwin (Woodbury, Conn.) blasted a shot at Bennett-Hattan nine minutes into the second half that was stopped by the diving keeper and three minutes later sophomore Jessica Bitsack (Mendham, N.J.) had a chance but couldn’t put the ball away.

 

Syracuse had an opportunity to make it a 3-0 game when a long ball was kicked into the box but the ball took a lucky bounce and skirted wide of the net around the 60th minute.

 

Senior Brittany Pearsall (La Grange, Ill.) came in to relieve Sousa, with 14:14 remaining.

 

The Orange put another scare into the Raiders when Pearsall came out to stop a ball but it got loose and a second shot was stopped by defender Beth Clifford (South Jordan, Utah) and kicked out of danger.

 

Pearsall made one save and Sousa stopped five shots on the day. Bennett-Hattan collected eight balls for Syacuse.

 

Colgate won the corner kick battle, 7-4 and had a 16-14 upper hand in shots.

 

The Raiders (5-3-1) travel to No. 17 Penn State on Wednesday, Sept. 26 for a 5 p.m., match.