D’Agostini Bags Double as #22 Syracuse Shut Out Yale at Home
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – #22 Syracuse wrapped up their out-of-conference schedule on Wednesday night when they hosted Yale at SU Soccer Stadium. The Orange came in favorites and looked the part against the visiting Ivy League side, dominating possession and coasting to a comfortable 2-0 win. Syracuse thought they grabbed an early lead less than five minutes in when forward Nicholas Kaloukian nodded in a beautiful ball across from Nate Edwards, but the goal was wiped away by the offsides flag. Edwards got his assist later in the first half, when another cross was turned in by Felipe D’Agostini. The forward grabbed a brace less than two minutes later, and his name turned out to be the only one on the scoresheet at the final whistle.
Below are three takeaways from the match:
A Quick Brace to Kick Things Off
After being selected for just his fourth start of the year, Felipe D’Agostini delivered two goals within two and a half minutes early in the first half. The graduate student has featured prominently for McIntyre’s side in his first year with the Orange but had only one goal to his name prior to Wednesday night. D’Agostini became the second Syracuse player to score twice in the same game this season, joining the teammate he started over - Lorenzo Boselli. “Sometimes as a coach you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong,” head coach Ian McIntyre said postgame. “Felipe took his chance and scored some big goals for us.”
D’Agostini’s brace put Syracuse in a comfortable position early on, and the home side were able to cruise for the rest of the match without much incident. It had been four games since Syracuse put multiple goals by their opponents – on Wednesday night, D’Agostini did it himself. “I think it was about time I got on the scoreboard,” D’Agostini said. “When I scored the first one, I got the momentum going and the confidence came back.”
Service on Point
It may have been Nate Edwards’s birthday on Wednesday, but he was the one providing a gift to D’Agostini. His ball across the box in the 20th minute was turned in for Syracuse’s opener as Edwards picked up his second assist of the year. The defender is consistently one of the most involved Syracuse players on both sides of the pitch, providing a vertical threat while patrolling the right touchline. Edwards told reporters postgame that D’Agostini called the assist. “Felipe is a good guy and since he’s come, we’ve been pretty close,” Edwards said. “On the way here, he told me ‘it’s your birthday, I know you’re going to shine and get an assist today’ so shoutout to him.”
Seeing Jeorgio Koscevski pick up an assist is all but a guarantee if you’re watching the Orange play at SU Soccer Stadium this year. The senior registered his tenth tonight with the secondary helper on D’Agostini’s goal, the most in the ACC and tied for the lead across the entire country. Koscevski’s efforts in the 2023 campaign have moved him into the top five assisting seasons in Syracuse history, although still six away from the top spot with only two games left on the schedule.
A Massive Win
Coach McIntyre said after the Clemson game on Sunday that this upcoming match against Yale was one of the biggest games of the year. Syracuse players and staff alike had preached how important the midweek matches were, and the Orange dropped one in embarrassing fashion in last Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Temple. With the out of conference schedule wrapping up and the ACC tournament approaching quickly, securing a better result was crucial. “I thought we were pretty good against Temple, we just didn’t take our chances,” McIntyre said. “Tonight, we did.”
While they were heavily favored, the Orange have had issues with playing down to opponents this year. Syracuse has been playing an uncomfortable number of close games lately – the final score has either been a draw or within one goal in seven of the last eight matches. But on Wednesday night, the Orange were able to pick up a quick brace through D’Agostini and cruise through one of the least stressful games in recent memory. “Overall, you win a mid-week game in a pretty comfortable manner, keep a clean sheet,” McIntyre recapped. “That’s a tough Yale team, we were all concerned coming off the Clemson game with a short turnaround – this was a big game for us.”
Looking Ahead:
The Orange will be wrapping up their home regular season slate on Sunday afternoon when North Carolina State visits SU Soccer Stadium. The Wolfpack have been muddling through another mediocre season, sitting at 6-8-1 with only one win in ACC play. While Syracuse hasn’t been in perfect form recently, they’ll be coming into this one in a better shape than their opponents – NC State has only taken one single point from their last five games, their draw with High Point on Tuesday night breaking a four-game losing streak. A heavily favored Syracuse will look to capitalize and pick up another win in their last regular season match in front of the home fans when that one kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 22.
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