The No. 5 Syracuse Orange is headed to the Final Four after defeating the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions 5-2 Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore Jordan Page scored twice to lead the Orange in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Orange did not trail for any minute of the match against Penn State.
Freshman Gillian Pinder, graduate student Liz McInerney and senior Iona Holloway added the other three Orange goals.
Leann Stiver was forced to make a season-high 13 saves in the game that also featured 15 Nittany Lion penalty corners, making for the toughest defensive fights the Orange have had all year.
The Nittany Lions came within one when Whitney Reddig scored the first PSU goal, making it 2-1 Orange with just under 19 minutes left. The Orange roared back, going up 5-1 at one point.
“I'm just so proud for this team collectively and these seniors,” head coach Ange Bradley said. “This is their moment. They listened to a game plan, they executed, and they wanted something. They played so inspired today.”
Just after 4 p.m. it became clear that the Orange were headed for their second ever trip to the Final Four, where they will face No. 1 North Carolina (22-1) November 16. UNC's lone loss of the season came against the Orange on September 1, where the Orange won 1-0 in overtime.
