Syracuse Men's Soccer Schedule Analysis
Following a season where Syracuse played five double overtime games the team will have something to prove. Syracuse beat the defending champion and pre-season number one Clemson 2-0 in one of their final games.
Ranked ACC Teams:
- 1. Clemson
- 4. Notre Dame
- 7. Pitt
- 12. Duke
- 15. Wake Forest
- 24. UNC
2021 Recap:
The 2022-year marks Ian McIntyre's 13th season leading the Men's Soccer program. His team is coming off of a misleading 8-8-2 season with a 2-5-1 record in conference. Their season started with a canceled and a rain-shortened exhibition match. They were able to beat Rutgers in their final pre-season game. Not having a full exhibition schedule cost the Orange valuable game time.
Their first game that counted was against Drexel who did not get a single shot off. The Orange outshot them 16-0 and won 2-0. It was unfortunate to have the shorted exhibition schedule and a far from competitive match before they took on two ranked opponents. #11 Penn State would be the first loss of the season with a 3-0 win for the Nittany Lions. It played out as a much closer game than the score indicates. Both teams had seven shots on goal, but the difference was Kris Shakes who saved everything he saw. A hot goalkeeper can make all the difference and the Orange just could not get the ball past Shakes.
Syracuse then took on #2 Georgetown who was given an impressive fight. The Orange doubled the Hoyas 6-3 in shots on goal but only Georgetown’s’ John Franks could find the back of the net. Deandre Kerr and Curt Calov would prevent a third straight loss as each netted a goal against Niagara.
The Orange were then able to open up conference play with a fresh slate. They took on and beat Virginia 3-1 behind Kerr yet again as he scored two more. He found the net early scoring in 6th minute. Colin Biros assisted two of the goals in this one. This win also came while the Cavaliers were receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
7-0 wins always help with confidence and it is even sweeter when your head coach picks up his 100th win in the process. That was the story against Binghamton as Calov and Kerr scored the first four goals of the game. In a return to ACC play Louisville gave the Orange quite a battle. The final was 5-4 in a back-and-forth double overtime slugfest. The winner was scored in the 103rd minute by defender Josh Jones of Louisville.
It would be a second consecutive double overtime match, this time yielding just a draw. Cornell continued to test the Orange before Syracuse was tasked with hosting #6 Duke. Syracuse put up quite a fight in this defensive battle, but the Blue Devils would find their winner in the 81st minute. The theme of losing close contests against very good teams did come back to bite the Orange in the long run. Coach McIntyre and his squad played well enough to make the NCAA Tournament if just one or two of the close games had gone their game.
Syracuse rebounded with a 5-2 win over Vermont before another one goal loss to a ranked opponent. #16 Pitt would beat the Orange in double overtime after a 109th minute winner. The Orange ran into winless Colgate at the perfect time to rebound from a tough loss like that. They would win 3-0 with Francesco Pagano, Manel Busquets and Julius Raunch scoring for Syracuse.
The Orange would go to another double overtime when they hosted NC State. This was the third double overtime match in the last four ACC contests. It ended in a scoreless draw as another emotional battle needed extra time. This was a game where the Wolfpack were outshot by the Orange 18-5.
It was back to winning ways when Syracuse improves to 7-5-2 after their 4-0 win against Bucknell. Bucknell would put just one shot on net as the Orange had four different goal scorers. The final stretch of the season would be the most confusing.
Syracuse started their final three games of the regular season by losing to Boston College 1-0 when allowing just one shot on goal. The Orange then not only beat but outplayed #6 Clemson behind Busquets and Kerr. It would then be a letdown game against Wake Forest where the Orange were able to outshoot the Demon Deacons including 11 shots in the second half. The season would then end after a 1-0 loss to the Tar Heels in the ACC tournament. This one, unfortunately, would also be a double overtime loss where North Carolina scored on a penalty in the 106th minute.
This was an up and down year but one that promises a lot. The Orange should have quite a bit of ambition after beating ranked opponents, losing six games by one goal and taking five teams to double overtime.
Exhibition Breakdown:
The Orange open their schedule with three exhibitions, two of which have already been played. They were against two tournament teams from last season that tested Syracuse well.
The opener was against Marist and Syracuse got all they wanted and more. It was a 6-0 thrashing which was impressive against the reigning MAAC champions. Colin Biros netted one in the 18th minute to open the scoring. Julius Rauch followed that up to extend the first half advantage to 2-0. Nathaniel Opoku was credited with the assist.
The Orange actually went quite for a bit before stepping on the throttle in the 75th minute. Freshman Andrea DiBlasio received a redirect from a free kick to make it a three-goal lead. Shortly after Stephen Betz scored the fourth on a penalty. The final two came in the 84th and 85th minutes. Michal Gradus scored the first before Abdi Salim sent a header into the back of the net to reach the final tally of six goals.
Villanova was a tougher test as the Wildcats got the best of the Orange. It was a 2-1 battle where the Big East representatives scored an 83rd minute winner. Villanova scored their first in the 40th minute when Akinjide Awujo beat the Orange keeper. Julius Raunch scored in his second straight match to tie it up at one. Lyam Mackinnon made the difference with the winning goal. Syracuse did outshoot Villanova 6-4.
The final pre-season contest will be on Saturday the 20th when the Orange host Saint Francis. The representatives from the Northeast Conference are likely the weakest of the three opponents Syracuse will take on. Saint Francis missed out on the NEC Tournament last season with a 3-6 record.
Here is the schedule for the Non-Conference games that count towards their record:
August: 25th- Vs. Iona
28th- Vs. Penn State
September: 2nd- @ Vermont
5th- @ UConn
13th- Vs. Niagara
20th- @ Colgate
October: 4th- Vs. Cornell
10th- Vs. Loyola
18th- Vs. Bucknell
This season’s Non-Conference schedule has a healthy mix of returning opponents from last year and fresh faces. The first date everyone should circle is August 28th when the Nittany Lions come to Syracuse. Penn State is a team that beat Syracuse 3-0 last season and also made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That is an early test that is likely feel like an ACC battle.
Vermont is another tournament team early on in the season to look at. They played and lost to Villanova in the NCAA tournament last season. The Orange also beat Vermont 5-2. Niagara is a returning opponent who the Orange handled comfortably 2-0 while Colgate was a dominant win as well. Cornell was an exciting contest last season that ended in a draw after double overtime. It would not be surprising to see another game that comes down to the 90th minute or even overtime again.
Loyola ended up being a tournament team last year as well which should pose a tough Monday match-up in-between a home contest against Wake Forest and a trip to Louisville. The last opponent on the Non-Conference schedule is Bucknell who was a stress free 4-0-win last season. They are not a team to overlook but should be a step below the ACC competition that the Orange will be plenty tested against.
Here is their ACC schedule:
September: 10th- Vs. Notre Dame
16th- @ Clemson
24th- Vs. Virginia
30th- @ Virginia Tech
October: 7th- Vs. Wake Forest
14th- @ Louisville
22nd- @ NC State
28th- Vs. Boston College
According to the ACC Preseason Awards, in the Atlantic half of the ACC Syracuse is expected to finish fourth behind Clemson, Wake Forest, and Louisville. Amferny Sinclair was the Orange player nominated for the Pre-Season watch list. The conference schedule is set up where, except for Wake Forest, the most challenging games come first.
Opening with the Pre-Season #4 Notre Dame before playing the defending national champion Tigers on the road is a gut check. Syracuse did not play Notre Dame last season and beat Clemson 2-0 near the tail end of their season. These opening two games of ACC play will certainly test the Orange and set a level of expectation for them. A win in either of these games would be huge for the Orange and the eventual ACC tournament.
Next up for Syracuse will be Virginia who they beat 3-1 last season. The Cavaliers are expected to finish sixth in the Coastal division. Virginia Tech was a team the Orange did not cross paths with last season but is an opponent, much like UVA, who Syracuse is going to have to beat. In such a challenging conference there are not going to be many games to take advantage of. These are two that are as close as Syracuse will come by.
Another reason the Orange will want to win those two games is that they play Wake Forest to open up October. Syracuse was bested 2-0 against Wake Forest last season and they are the only other Atlantic team outside of Clemson to receive first place votes (3). Louisville will be another tough opponent who beat Syracuse last season. That contest went into double overtime where the Cardinals found their winner.
The Orange finish their ACC schedule against the two Atlantic teams projected to finish below them. First, they travel to NC State who they did not face last season. This game should be looked at like Virginia and Virginia Tech. A team with tournament aspirations needs to come out on top. Boston College looks to be a bit stronger than NC State behind Senior defender Victor Souza but again, if the Orange hope to push for the Tournament, this game most likely will need to be a win.
Virginia Tech and North Carolina were the two teams not better than .500 in conference play to make the NCAA tournament last season. They did finish with 11-win season though. Playing in a conference like the ACC gives each of these teams a case but there has to be some statement games, like beating Clemson. A game like that could do wonders for an Orange squad with higher expectations than last season.
Here are the final standings in the ACC last year for a final reference before play begins:
ACC Standings 2021: Acc Record (Overall)
Atlantic
- Clemson 5-3-0 (16-5-2)
- Louisville 5-3-0 (10-7-1)
- Wake Forest 4-3-1 (13-7-1)
- Boston College 2-4-2 (6-7-2)
- Syracuse 2-5-1 (8-8-2)
- NC State 1-5-2 (7-8-2)
Coastal
- Duke 5-2-1 (14-5-1)
- Pitt 5-2-1 (13-5-2)
- Notre Dame 4-2-2 (14-5-5)
- North Carolina 4-4-0 (11-7-2)
- Virginia Tech 3-4-1 (11-5-4)
- Virginia 2-5-1 (6-9-3)
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