Kaloukian’s Double Pushes Syracuse Past Boston University in NCAA Tournament Opener
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange kicked off their national title defense on Thursday night, as the opening round of the NCAA tournament saw Boston University visit SU Soccer Stadium. Syracuse was able to parlay a positive ACC Tournament run into a win as the Orange dominated BU in a 3-1 victory. That’s not to say the Terriers weren’t a strong matchup – they were coming off of one of the best regular seasons in program history, having won the Patriot League for the first time and making their first national tournament appearance in eight years. BU came out ready to prove their regular season wasn’t a fluke, with forward Eitan Rosen scoring within three minutes of the opening whistle. The Orange answered back in the 23rd minute, as Nicholas Kaloukian’s header went bar down to tie the match. Later in the half, Josh Belluz and Kaloukian scored within a minute of each other to give Syracuse the lead and turn the game on its head. The Syracuse defense held solid after the early mistake and the three first-half goals proved to be all Syracuse needed to move onto a second-round matchup with the University of New Hampshire on Sunday.
Below are three takeaways from the match:
Goals are Finally Coming for the Orange (and Kaloukian)
A large part of Syracuse’s struggles this year have come from their lack of goalscoring and creativity in the final third. The Orange averaged just 1.68 goals per game in ACC play and had scored exactly one goal in eight of their last ten games before Thursday night. This is a team that has put a lot of pressure on their defense game in and game out due to the lack of productivity up top, making it a relief to score three in the first half alone against BU. Orange fans have striker Nicholas Kaloukian to thank, as the senior netted twice to move his season tally up to six. “I’ve been working hard all season, but the goals haven’t come as much as I wanted,” Kaloukian said after the game. “I knew I just had to keep going and they would come, and tonight was a great night. I’m happy, it was a great team win.”
Kaloukian’s first goal was a classic center-forward’s header, with the sophomore rising up and hammering the ball off the bottom of the crossbar. He secured his brace less than a minute after Belluz’s goal that gave the Orange the lead in the 34th minute, with wingback Nate Edwards providing yet another pretty ball for Kaloukian to put his head onto. The forward also worked hard off-ball, pressing opponents and putting his body on the line at times to win balls in the air and play his teammates on. Coach Ian McIntyre made it clear that he was impressed by Kaloukian postgame, jokingly interrupting a reporter’s question about the striker by blurting out “told you he’s pretty good right! Kept telling you!”
Leveque Steps Up in Koscevski’s Absence
The Orange came into this matchup missing arguably their best player, Jeorgio Kocevski. The senior had an incredible campaign, tallying 12 assists and earning ACC Co-Midfielder of the Year honors. Kocevski picked up a red card in the ACC Tournament semifinals against North Carolina and was subsequently banned from the NCAA opener against BU. Missing a crucial cog in the offense, Syracuse had to adjust to create opportunities without their star. According to Coach McIntyre, no one enjoyed how much those changes paid off more than Kocevski: “He was probably the guy with the biggest smile on his face after the game, because he gets to continue his college career.”
The strategy proved to be easier than most had assumed – Mateo Leveque would simply step up and channel Koscevski all night. The junior midfielder showed his passing chops throughout the season, tallying five assists, and when given the opportunity to take Syracuse’s set pieces on Thursday night he didn’t disappoint. Leveque nabbed two assists on goals headed in by Kaloukian and Belluz, and almost had a goal of his own from one of his free kick opportunities. Leveque’s strike required a high-flying save from the BU keeper - the angle and power of the shot would’ve easily made it one of Syracuse’s highlight goals of the year. Leveque had to settle for just his two assists and the win, impressing his coach along the way. “He played some of his best soccer for us tonight,” McIntyre said. “He’s been good for us this year, but I’m very proud of him having that performance for us.”
Defense Shores Up After Conceding Early
SU Soccer Stadium was rowdy prior to kickoff, with fans coming out in droves to support their defending national champions. The supporters were stunned into silence nearly immediately, as an early defensive breakdown led to a BU goal within three minutes of play. The Orange were able to respond with a positive passage of play after the early concession, quickly getting the fans back into it. After the goal, BU’s offense was almost completely stifled – the Terriers put just one more shot on target in the next 87 minutes of play. “I think the guys’ response was terrific,” McIntyre said. “They didn’t panic, there wasn’t a frustration.”
It would’ve been easy for many teams to fold into themselves after conceding an early goal in a win-or-go-home game, but that isn’t how McIntyre’s squad operates. This team has been in one-goal dogfights all year and specializes in digging themselves out of holes. While fans had to wait nearly 20 minutes for a Syracuse response, it was a goal that everyone in the stadium could see coming. The Orange were able to clip BU’s momentum right after their goal and take control of the game back quickly. “We just want to keep our heads up, that was the key message,” defender Nate Edwards said postgame. “To continue to fight and stay strong, no matter what happens.”
Looking Ahead:
Syracuse have still never lost an NCAA tournament game at home, with Thursday’s result making them 11-0-0 at SU Soccer Stadium. The win gives them the chance to travel to the University of New Hampshire on Sunday to face the tournament’s #8 seed. This game will be a tough one – the Wildcats grabbed their highest seed in program history this year and are well-rested after their first-round bye. The Orange will be confident coming into the matchup based off their recent form but have struggled on the road this year - Syracuse has stumbled to a 1-2-4 record away from home. The second-round matchup will kick off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 19.