Syracuse Men's Soccer 2022 Season Recap
Syracuse University has a national champion for the first time since 2015 as the Men’s Soccer team captures their 19th win of the year in a penalty victory over Indiana.
What a season it was for Syracuse. Believe it or not your 2022 national champions weren’t expected to be here at the start of the season. They didn’t receive a single preseason vote to win the conference or even their division. Clemson, Wake Forest and Louisville were all supposed to finish above Syracuse in the Atlantic with Pitt, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Duke all claiming more points than the Orange in the Coastal division. How does a team go from an expected bottom 5 team in the ACC to a national champion?
First being that everyone looked at the 2021 results in the wrong way. Their 8-8-2 record, 2-5-1 in the ACC, was far from indicative of the quality they had. They went without a full exhibition schedule before they took on two ranked opponents within their first three games of the regular season. One of those games was against #2 Georgetown, a team that lost in the college cup, and the Orange doubled the Hoya’s shot total but fell just 1-0. They opened ACC play with a 3-1 win over UVA but what really hurt the Orange was 2OT games and close loses. That 1-0 loss to Georgetown would be somewhat indicative of their 2021 campaign. They played very well against most of their ranked opponents, but just needed a little more in the final third of those close games. The 2OT games took their toll and the Orange were probably one of the programs who wished this year’s overtime rules were effect a year earlier. A 5-4 2OT loss to Louisville and a 1-1 draw against Cornell after extra time played a role in their 1-0 loss to #6 Duke. They would also have two more double overtime games in the regular season, a 3-2 loss to #16 Pitt and a 0-0 draw against NC State. In their 2nd to last game of the regular season they would beat the eventual national champion Clemson Tigers before their year ended in 2OT against #18 UNC 1-0.
First of all, this team gained valuable experience of playing in close games. They were one clutch, quality finisher away from a much different record. This team had a lot more than their record indicated and their 1.94 goals per game average and their ability to put 49.8% of their shots on goal pointed to their attacking prowess where they needed a little more defensively to reward that attack. Losing Deandre Kerr and Manel Busquets was never going to be easy but with returners Curt Calov (5 goals, 1 assist) and Colin Biros (2 goals, 5 assists) to carry over some of their creativity there was an attacking core to believe in. From that final game of the season Syracuse had 6 returning starters and 10 players who got playing time which gave them a strong foundation to hit the ground running. The only question remaining was who would fill in for Kerr up top? Well, a masterful job recruiting from the Orange staff took care of that and then some bringing in two guys named Nathan Opoku and Levonte Johnson as well as Lorenzo Boselli. Losing your top two goal scorers and replacing them with two guys who out scored both of them is nothing short of incredible. The best part about Johnson and Opoku was that they weren’t just goal scorers, they were both incredibly smart and creative which explains their assist tallies and why they worked so well in tandem. What would be just as important as those two was the jump defensively Syracuse made. Russell Shealy was a wall this year and he stepped up in every single big moment while Christian Curti, Buster Sjoberg, Abdi Salim and Olu Oyegunle all were workhorses in a back three that can leave the center backs isolated. The athleticism of Salim and Oyegunle partnered with Sjoberg in the middle and an incredibly versatile Curti made this defensive unit a nightmare to face.
The 2022 schedule was daunting for Syracuse with 6 ranked opponents on top of an ACC slate made for a difficult but necessary road to get the team to where they needed to be. After opening the season with a 2-0 win over Iona they pulled out their first victory over a ranked team when hosting #21 Penn State. Colin Biros found the back of the net and Opoku tallied his first assist as Syracuse outshot the Nittany Lions 29-10 and 10-4 in shots on goal. That type of dominant performance over a ranked team was sign number one of what this team had to offer but they certainly were going to need to convert more of their chances as the year went on. One of the most impactful games of the year for this team was their next game. The first road trip of the year was to Vermont and Syracuse was largely outplayed in a hostile environment, but they did enough to keep the draw. This was also the first taste of the Johnson and Opoku connection as those two combined for the only goal and shot on target for Syracuse. This was their wakeup call. After beating a ranked opponent the way they did, they were certainly confident but this kind of result prevented any over confidence and instead showed them there was work to do. Turning around and putting 5 goals on Uconn three days later was the 2nd sign. They were outshot 17-11 by the Huskies but they were as clinical and aggressive as 9 of those 11 shots were on target and they tallied 18 fouls through that aggression. Being assertive became an important part of the Syracuse identity and it showed in the national championship as well.
The Orange put together an immaculate display against #22 Notre Dame to improve to 4-0-1. Outshooting the Irish 22-3, yes 22-3, while keeping Notre Dame to just 1 shot on target is no small feat when going up against the reigning ACC Tournament champs. This was also a sign of what Giona Leibold had to offer with his goal coming from a perfectly timed run on the far side of the field where Opoku found him for the finish. Back on the road and the Orange beat the #1 team in the country. I am not sure everyone, including myself, made a big enough deal about this win but a 2-1 win where you outplay the defending national champions despite conceding a goal in the 8th minute should have received more praise than it did. This made it back to back seasons for Syracuse where they beat the Tigers and they weren’t quite done proving to be the better team in Orange. After beating Colgate, they picked up their first loss of the year against UVA in what was another important learning moment. It was one of those stop and go games with a lot of whistles interrupting the flow of play which was only made worse when Jeorgio Kocevski received his 2nd yellow in the 22nd minute. The Orange proved just how much fight they had in them playing the eventual 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament a man down without conceding a goal for over 60 minutes. Leo Afonso scored the winner in the 85th but not without two late looks from Leibold and Johnson. This loss showed me more than half of their wins to that point because of the resiliency and the desire this team showed. This team wanted to be great.
A 3-0 win against Virginia Tech was a proper response to the loss but the team fell a bit flat with some self-inflicted damage against #22 Cornell including a penalty and an own goal in their 2-1 loss. The Orange were 8-2-1 at this point with a 3-1-0 record in conference which was far from anything to complain about. The question again would be how do you respond? They proved again how much desire they had turning that disappointing loss into a 2-0 win over #4 Wake Forest who had just beat Clemson 6-1 and played Duke in a tight 3-2 loss. The response was a win over the Demon Deacons in a game where they again outshot their opponent (18-10) while more than doubling the oppositions foul total at 19-9. Most people look at the fouls and think this team was playing reckless at times but, aside from maybe 1 or 2 fouls they could have gone without, it shows their desire. They were going after these top tier opponents and if they picked up a few fouls as a result of being the aggressor that didn’t matter much to them as the end game results spoke for themselves. The Orange rattled off three more wins in a row including a 6-1 win over Loyola and a 2-1 victory on the road against #11 Louisville. The last two results were draws against NC State and Boston College which, based on resume, should have been wins but trading two draws against NC State and BC for a 4-0 record against ranked ACC opponents is a deal every single one of us would have done at the start of the year. Most importantly they did enough to get the draws and prevent themselves from entering the ACC Tournament on a loss.
Step one of the treble was accomplished for the Orange as they won the Atlantic Division finishing with a 5-1-2 record in conference with Wake Forest, Louisville and Clemson rounding out the top 4. On the other side of the ACC was undefeated Duke, the #1 overall seed for the ACC Tournament and one of three teams in the country (Washington and Kentucky) to still be undefeated with Virginia and their 5-1-2 record in the ACC just behind them.
The tournament started in the 2nd round with the Tar Heels who beat Boston College to earn a trip to Syracuse. It wasn’t an exciting game for the most part with just nine total shots between the two sides but 4 saves from Russell Shealy, stout defending with Sjoberg, Curti and Salim as well as the one chance on a break got them across the finish line. If you ask me, although it was tipped by a UNC defender, this should have been Shealy’s first assist of the season. He gathered the ball, looked up and fired a laser that tipped into the path of Levonte Johnson who did what Levonte does and that is score game-winners. 8. 8 Game winners this year for Levonte. I am not all that creative, but we need a Matty “Ice” Ryan level nickname for how clutch this guy is.
One thing I haven’t touched on yet is how well this team did in rematches this post season. They played four opponents twice this season. They were UVA, Clemson, Cornell and Vermont. Their record in the regular season was 1-2-1 against these four teams. They finished 4-0 against them the 2nd time around. The first victim in the revenge tour was Virginia who played a much better game this time around despite the loss. Without the man advantage they pushed the Orange into their first overtime and penalties of the season. An early penalty awarded to Opoku and finished by Kocevski put the Orange up 1-0 but a goal on either side of the break from Ueland and Afonso put the Orange behind 2-1. In the 84th minute Lorenzo Boselli, who emerged as a scoring threat at the perfect time, found the back of the net from an Opoku assist to send it to overtime. Only one penalty wouldn’t find the back of the net and it was Andreas Ueland who tried to beat Shealy with a stutter but, as we would come to find out, Shealy has a certain affinity for making game winning saves in shootouts. Colin Biros buried one in the 5th round to punch their first ticket to Cary, NC. The tour continued as they would take on Clemson who certainly was eyeing for a bit of revenge themselves as the Orange were the team to knock them from their #1 ranking. It was another aggressive performance from Syracuse where they came out swinging. Another tournament goal from Boselli in the 21st minute on a broken play and Leibold finding the 2nd goal in the 38th on a dazzling counter with Curt Calov put them in prime position to see the game through. The lead was again protected by Russell Shealy who delivered some crucial saves in crunch time to keep the clean sheet.
Step two of the treble was secured after lifting the ACC title and their performance in that tournament secured them the #3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, which they missed out on in 2021. They opened their run against Ivy League champion Penn who pushed the Orange into overtime. Both regulation goals came in the 2nd half with Nick Schimbeno scoring the first for the Quakers before Nathan Opoku tallied his 9th goal of the year in the 60th minute to equalize. Less than a minute into overtime some guy named Levonte Johnson also found the back of the net for his 9th goal of the year and that would be the winner, again. I still can’t believe it, so I am going to repeat that JOHNSON HAD 8 GAME-WINNERS. Seriously, any nickname suggestions? It would be back to back Ivy League foes for Syracuse who squared off with the 14th seeded Big Red who beat Maryland in the previous round. The revenge tour was in high gear, but it took until the 83rd minute for that sigh of relief. Shealy would finally get his assist and possibly the crown for best facilitating goalkeeper in the country as another alert play following a save led Shealy to connect with Giona Leibold who showed off the pace and footwork to find the winner. Vermont was up next and was the final obstacle in the way of the Orange matching their best finish to a season ever which was 2015 when they lost in the semifinals to Clemson. It was fitting having it be Vermont. The team who provided the first bump in the road in the regular season was their final hurdle to get to Cary. Curt Calov scored an Olympico in the 11th minute of the game as the over 20 mph winds picked up an assist on an incredible ball from Calov. Boselli broke out at the end of the ACC tournament and Calov turned up in the NCAA tournament for the Orange. Daniel Pacella scored a rocket from outside the box in the 23rd minute but before the break Levonte Johnson would again provide the difference maker, putting another Nathan Opoku assist past an opposing keeper.
It was back to Cary for Syracuse. They were the favorite and deservedly so as they were the only single digit seed remaining in a final four with #13 Indiana as well as unseeded Creighton and Pitt. Creighton knocked off one-loss Washington and Duke on their path the College Cup and presented an attack that was 2nd to none in the NCAA. They entered the game having scored 63 goals and had the nation’s leading goal scorer in Duncan McGuire who had 22 goals ahead of their match. It was another one goal game and a back and forth one at that. Christian Curti scored his first of the year after a corner from Calov was mishandled by Paul Kruse in net. It seemed inevitable that McGuire would score, and he did in the 50th minute on a difficult finish. A minute and 31 seconds later Opoku responded with the 2nd of the game and his 10th of the season. Alfie Pope brought the game level again in the 64th minute but there was a Syracuse winner in the 86th. Any guesses? Yeah, it was Levonte, again, scoring his 11th goal of the year and 8th game winning goal to punch their ticket to the finals. As it should be, the two games Syracuse played in the College Cup were the only two games where I saw an equally deserving program on the other side and both Creighton and Indiana deserve a ton of credit for that. Creighton would outshoot Syracuse 15-12 and 9-7 in shots on goal, but it was that unmatched quality up top that made the difference. Two is better than one and, as good as McGuire was all year, his talent alone couldn’t get them past Opoku and Johnson. I neglected to give him proper credit in the first recap but credit Jackson Glenn was incredible in this one. Carpe Diem. He was a star and made Robin William’s character John Keating from the Dead Poets Society proud the way he seized the moment. He was all over the pitch and involved from beginning to end with a near flawless performance.
Then it was down to just two. Indiana and Syracuse. A program as established as any with their NCAA best 17 title appearances that even Coach McIntyre could recall from his playing days at Hartwick. Syracuse had already set a new standard for the program with a new best in wins, their furthest run in the NCAA tournament and numerous accolades including two All-Americans in Levonte Johnson (1st team) and Nathan Opoku (3rd team). Wrapping up the treble of an ACC division title, the ACC tournament title and NCAA title took what they had already done to a whole new level. Syracuse, naturally as they had done all season, had to make it dramatic.
Opoku opened the scoring and all but sealed his most outstanding offensive player award after beating multiple defenders before bending one into the top left corner. I recently heard a comparison for Opoku to AC Milan star Rafael Leao and I love it. He is so strong on the ball and can score in a variety of ways. Just like Levonte and a number of other players on this team, the sky is truly the limit. Patrick McDonald equalized in the 32nd after a corner fell to him in the box. Less than a minute and half later the Orange again showed their incredible ability to respond when Curt Calov took a cross from none other than Nathan Opoku and buried it in the left side of the net. It was a back and forth game, but the Orange were playing their aggressive style and were dictating play for the most part. They stepped off the gas a bit in the 2nd half, just enough to relinquish that control to the Hoosiers who made Syracuse pay in the 80th minute when Herbert Endeley scored a goal that was nothing short of extraordinary. He took a pass from Samuel Sarver that was a bit off the mark and fired a missile of a shot into the top left corner of the goal. Each side would have chances, but it was clear that this one was leading to penalties. As soon as we got to this point, I felt nervous because penalties are fairly random, but, if anybody was going to give you confidence in a situation like that, it was Russell Shealy. An eight round back and forth between the Orange and Hoosiers had everyone from Indiana to New York on the edge of their seats. Boselli buried the first while both sides couldn’t find the back of the net in the second round as Shealy made one of two incredible saves he would have in the shootout. Calov, Singelmann and Biros all took care of business to finish out the first five rounds and make it a sudden death situation for the title. The smartest man in all of Cary, NC Julius Rauch stepped up and scored twice in the 6th round after jumping the gun on his first attempt. In the 7th round Levonte Johnson made all of our hearts stop as he went bar down to make it 6-6 and the smile on his face after it allowed us all to take a deep breath. Russell Shealy guessed correctly in the 8th round, diving to his left to make the save against Indiana’s Maouloune Goumballe before the perfect ending occurred. Their captain, Amferny Sinclair, with a gutsy strike into the top netting put the Syracuse Orange at the top of the NCAA Soccer world and secured their first title in program history. There was nobody better or more deserving of that moment than Amferny, the first guy on Coach McIntyre’s team sheet all season long.
At the end of it all, six players from Syracuse were named to the all-tournament team. Nathan Opoku and Russell Shealy were two of them as they also received the most outstanding offensive and defensive players respectively. Levonte Johnson, Curt Calov, Christian Curti and Jeorgio Kocevski would round out that list.
If read this far god bless you, I know it was a novel, but this season was an incredible journey for the Orange and one that was a privilege to cover along the way. A national title against a program like Indiana could do wonders for the future of SU soccer. Many of these players have a future at the next level. Whether it be on the attack in Johnson and Opoku, in the midfield with Singelmann and Sinclair, or defensively with their incredibly talented core of senior defenders in Salim, Sjoberg and Curti these guys could be on your television for years to come. I can’t forget Russell Shealy who never met a moment too big for him all season but what also stands out for Syracuse is the core and experience they have to build from. Boselli and Kocevski are both Juniors while their sophomore core of Oyegunle, Leibold, Opoku, Calov and Rauch is as talented as any class in the country. With that core and Coach Ian McIntyre and his staff at the helm the future of Syracuse soccer couldn’t be brighter. We all had the privilege of a team that embodied what it meant to be family. It could be this year, 2022, that everyone looks back when this Orange program establishes itself among the nation’s elite.
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