Syracuse Men's Soccer Downs #4 Wake Forest
Syracuse men’s soccer lost by an own goal and penalty kick on Tuesday night against No. 22 ranked Cornell, and won by them three days later against No. 4 ranked Wake Forest.
Redshirt senior Russell Shealy had to come off of his line twice early on in the game, even heading it away from the top of the 18 yard box.
Senior Levonte Johnson drove down the end line in the 13th minute and almost scored off of what was expected to be a cross. He then collected the deflection at the top of the box and drew a penalty kick, the team’s second of the season and second within two games. Junior Jeorgio Kocevski converted it.
The Demon Deacons responded with a corner attempt and shot of their own that sophomore Roald Mitchell ended up chipping just left of frame.
But in the 24th minute, Wake Forest scored an own goal off the head of junior Prince Amponsah.
Senior Christian Curti’s cross intended for senior Lorenzo Boselli found Amponsah instead. It was the first own goal scored by an opponent this season.
What started with high, consistent and aggressive pressure and possession continued into the second half.
The Orange have never lost against Wake Forest at home. Last time the Demon Deacons came to Syracuse in 2018, the Orange won 2-0.
It’s the first time in Head Coach Ian McIntyre’s career that the Orange have beaten multiple top-five teams in a single season (2-1 win at Clemson on Sept. 16).
“In the past with these games, we were probably hoping to get a result. The difference tonight was that I have a group of guys that believed and expected to get a result,” McIntyre said.
The Demon Deacons had scored in 11-straight matches and had not been shutout since the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
The Orange moved to 9-2-1 on the season and have eight shutouts over the past 11 games. Syracuse is now first in the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division, and they have three matches remaining in conference.
First they take on the Loyola Greyhounds at home on Monday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. before returning to ACC play at Louisville at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14.
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