Junior Alivia Kelly had UNH's only goal in a 2-1 season-opening loss at Syracuse on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of UNH Athletics)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Junior captain Alivia Kelly (Pembroke, Mass.) scored a goal and grad student captain Cat Sheppard (Nesconset, N.Y) recorded eight saves in Thursday night’s 2-1 season opening loss to Syracuse University at SU Soccer Stadium.

Sheppard made three saves in the opening 45 minutes and five more after halftime. Kelly’s goal in the 65th minute was set up by classmate Emily Bini (Guilderland, N.Y.) and left the Wildcats within 2-1.

Syracuse goalie Michaela Walsh was credited with four saves. Erin Flurey and Florence Vaillancourt scored in the third and 52nd minutes, respectively.

Flurey scored on the first shot of the game at 2:13 to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead. In the 11th minute, Flurey struck another shot high on frame but Shepard made the save.

UNH generated its second corner kick of the game in the 12th minute and junior Ella Dudley (St. Augustine, Fla.) sent a shot toward the upper-right corner that was stopped by Walsh.

That resulted in another UNH corner kick, however, and Kelly sent in a high shot that Walsh saved. Sheppard made her second save in the 29th minute when she denied Emma Klein.

In the 38th minute, Syracuse generated three successive corners, the last of which Sheppard stopped Maya McDermott’s shot to keep the ‘Cats within 1-0.

After 45 minutes, the Orange had a 9-2 shot advantage that included 4-2 on goal, as well as a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.

he home team continued to pressure early in the second half as Sheppard was forced to make another save, this time on Vaillancourt’s shot in the 50th minute.

Vaillancourt extended the lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute (51:18).

New Hampshire generated pressure in the 55th minute, which resulted in a shot by grad student Maddy Warren (West Covina, Calif.) that was blocked and, seconds later, an attempt by junior Emily Bini (Guilderland, N.Y.) that sailed high.

One minute later, Warren sent a shot over the crossbar.

The Wildcats converted a corner kick into a goal when Kelly scored from the middle of the box at 64:04 to lift the ‘Cats within 2-1. Bini, who tied for the team lead in assists last season with four, was credited with the assist.

Momentum continue in UNH’s favor, as Bini had a shot blocked in the 69th minute and Warren’s shot was also blocked in the 72nd minute.

Warren’s team-leading fifth shot — 10 yards from the right post — was stopped by Walsh in the 81st minute to keep the score 2-1 in favor of Syracuse.

In the closing seconds, junior Logan Nicholson (St. Augustine, Fla.) fired a shot from the top-left corner of the box wide left of the goal.

NOTES

New Hampshire has a 5-2-2 record in season openers in head coach Steve Welham’s nine-year tenure. That includes 1-1-0 on the road….

Kelly now has career numbers of two goals and two assists for six points in 27 caps…

Bini, who played 62 minutes off the bench, increased her career assist total to seven in 27 caps…

Three Wildcats made their UNH debut in the starting lineup; they were grad students Gudrun Haralz (Kópavogur, Iceland) and Warren, as well as freshman Delaney Diltz (San Diego, Calif.)…

UNH returns to action Sunday (1 p.m.) at St. Francis College Brooklyn.

The Wildcats’ home opener is next Thursday, Aug. 25 (6 p.m.) against Siena College.