No. 14 ’Cuse Tops Cal in Rainy Overtime

Sunday, October 13

Syracuse, N.Y.

Noon

Syracuse University

(10-3, 4-2ACC)

California

(6-5, 0-5ACC)

California

Syracuse

10/13/2024 3:52:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the seventh time this season, Bo van Kempen registered the game-winning goal for No. 14 Syracuse as the Orange took down No. 18 California 2-1 in overtime at a cold, rain-soaked J.S. Coyne Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Lieke Leeggangers drew a penalty corner in the 63rd minute before inserting what proved to be the game-winning ball as Berber Bakermans made the stop and set up a Bo van Kempen drag flick for the winner.

Syracuse (10-3, 4-2 ACC) picked up its fourth top-20 win of the year while also winning its fourth-straight to complete a four-game home stand. Van Kempen scored both goals for the Orange on corner chances as Syracuse converted two of its nine opportunities. Annabelle Vossenaar and Willemijn Boogert had the assists on the first goal while Leeggangers and Bakermans had the game-winning assists.

California, which won the America East last year before joining the ACC this season, took a 1-0 lead late in the first quarter on a goal from Olivia Sharratt, scoring directly off the insert from Sydney Decher. Tina Jolly made five saves for the Golden Bears (6-5, 0-5 ACC).

How it Happened

Cal drew an early penalty corner in the first three minutes, but the chance was blocked down by a Syracuse flyer out of the goal mouth.
Neither team got a shot off until the Cal corner goal in the 13th minute. Decher sent in the penalty corner directly to Sharratt who drove the ball through traffic to the far post.
Syracuse was held without a shot for the entire first period while the Golden Bears accumulated five alongside four penalty corners.
The Orange got their first shot in the 25th minute as Bakersmans ripped a back-handed attempt off the near post. Two minutes later, the Orange got their first corner of the day as Boogert sent in a perfect injection to the battery of Vossenaar and van Kempen, who drove home the tying goal at the 26:27 mark.
It was the sixth time this year Syracuse has scored in the final five minutes of the first half this season as the game went tied 1-1 into halftime.
Out of the gate in the third, Syracuse pressured the Cal backline with three straight shots that went wide right, blocked, and saved by Jolly in succession across a two-minute stretch.
The Orange had back-to-back corners in the 39th minute but neither opportunity was on goal. Daisy Frank inserted the final corner of the third with a Hattie Madden tip chance going up and over the crossbar.
Starting the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears put the pressure on Syracuse, taking three shots and two corners in a 30 second span. All three shots were blocked away by Syracuse defenders.
Cal looked for the go-ahead in the 54th minute, but senior netminder Louise Pert was equal to the chance to keep things 1-1. Syracuse had a corner opportunity in the 57th minute that led to two chances, both stopped by Jolly, while a final shot with 34 seconds left in regulation was saved by Jolly as well.
In the overtime period, Cal had early corner attempts inside the first minute. The first was halted as a Syracuse flyer was thought to have left early, but upon review, left on time. Decher inserted the final Cal corner of the day but the Liz Klompmaker shot was blocked by Bo Madden, which led to a Syracuse break the other way.
Leeggangers was fouled in the circle and drew the penultimate penalty corner in the 62nd minute. After another Cal penalty in the circle, Leeggangers injected the deciding goal to Bakermans, who stopped for van Kempen's deciding shot.

Behind the Numbers

It was a nearly evenly-matched game as both sides drew nine penalty corners. The Orange out-shot Cal 16-12, including a 7-4 differential in shots on goal. Pert made two saves for the Orange while van Kempen made a defensive save.
After managing just five shots in the first, the Orange cranked out 11 in the second half.
Van Kempen now has seven game-winning goals on the season, tying assistant coach Emma Russell '16 and Charlotte de Vries '23 for the most by a Syracuse player since joining the ACC in 2013.
Syracuse improved to 6-0 in games decided by one goal this year. The Orange improved to 4-2 in the ACC, the most league wins since going 4-2 in 2021. Syracuse has two more chances to add to the total.
The Orange picked up their 10th win of the year, the fifth straight year with a regular schedule in which Syracuse has won double digit games.

Up Next for Syracuse

The Orange have a one-game weekend coming up, opening a three-game road stretch.
Syracuse heads for Charlottesville to take on No. 3 Virginia in a crucial ACC matchup.
Game time at Turf Field is set for 3 p.m. on Friday. ACC Network Extra will have coverage of the game.