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Syracuse’s 2-1 loss to Wake Forest on Sept. 27 marked a new low. It was SU’s third straight game without a win, while winning just one of its previous seven matches. The Orange stood at 3-4-2, their first time below .500 since 2018.

The loss to the Demon Deacons was another game where Syracuse threw away points. Sam Layton put the Orange in front with a first-time volley in the 66th minute. They looked well on their way to their first Atlantic Coast Conference win, but the game was quickly flipped on its head.

Dylan Borso leveled the game at 1-1 in the 78th minute. Borso then set up Basit Umar two minutes later for the game-winner. The loss was the fourth time SU failed to win a game despite holding a lead.

“To not get something out of this game tonight, it’s brutal,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said postgame.

“Moments kill you, and goals kill you. (We) just got to make sure we’re focused for 90 minutes,” Layton added.

Since its crushing defeat to Wake Forest, Syracuse (6-4-3) has flipped a switch. It’s started to buck the previous trend of blown leads. Wins over UAlbany, Notre Dame and most recently, Providence, proved it. SU’s inexperienced squad, composed of 12 freshmen, has displayed growth over the past month as it heads into the final stretch of ACC play.

Throughout the past two seasons, McIntyre’s teams have made a habit of winning tight contests. During its national championship run in 2022, Syracuse totaled 11 one-goal victories, while only losing twice by a score. Its first four NCAA tournament games came via one-goal wins.

The trend slowed last season, though the Orange displayed the same grittiness to squeeze out results. SU finished 4-2 in games decided by one goal. Syracuse’s winning success stemmed from strong second-half performances. It only lost two games from winning positions in 2023 and zero the year prior.

Through the first half of their season, the Orange struggled in that department. The lapses started on Sept. 6 in SU’s ACC opener against Boston College. Following a shocking 1-0 loss to Le Moyne earlier in the week, the Orange looked to bounce back in Chestnut Hill.

Gabe Threadgold scored within the first minute to make it 1-0, but Michael Asare equalized 20 minutes later. Heading into halftime tied 1-1, Syracuse’s offense faltered in the second half, recording just one shot on goal.

A week later against then-No. 17 Virginia Tech, the Orange entered halftime scoreless. They again fell flat in the second half. Alex Perez’s free kick in the 60th minute put the Hokies in front before Malick Thiaw doubled their advantage two minutes later.

“You’ve got to ensure those next five minutes, but that’s when we showed a little bit of naivety with our group,” McIntyre said postgame.

McIntyre’s team didn’t learn from previous mistakes in their next three matches.

Syracuse let up a goal in the final minute against Louisville on Sept. 20, leading to a 1-1 draw. Four days later, Cornell’s Connor Miller broke a scoreless tie in the 86th minute. Then came the disastrous result against Wake Forest.

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It left the Orange without a win in their first four ACC games for the first time since 2019. The youthful team had more questions than answers. Outside of a 5-1 win over Canisius, Syracuse had been outscored in the second half 6-2 from Sept. 6-27.

“We created a lot of chances … We talked about it before the game, just keep knocking on the door and the goal was coming,” SU striker Nicholas Kaloukian said after the Wake Forest loss. “But this is ACC play, and if you don’t put them away, you get punished.”

In its last three matches, Syracuse has turned the corner. It started with a comfortable 3-1 win at UAlbany on Oct. 1. The Orange were up 2-0 within 10 minutes and left no drama for the second half, winning its first game since Sept. 17.

They’d soon be tested against Notre Dame, the reigning national runners-up. For the fourth time in ACC play, Syracuse scored first, when Ben Rosenblatt scored the opener in the 54th minute.

The Fighting Irish leveled the game through Mathew Roou before the hour mark. Once again, it looked like Syracuse would blow a lead. Then, Threadgold put SU back in front 96 seconds later.

During the final stretch, SU’s backline of Layton, Dominic Bell and Andre Cutler-DeJesus — along with help from defender-turned-midfielder Chimere Omeze — held strong. Tomas Hut provided clutch saves in net and Syracuse held on for a 2-1 win.

The relief from SU players was evident postgame. Players streamed onto the field, exchanging long-winded embraces while bearing ear-to-ear grins. It was almost as if Syracuse finally cleared a mental hurdle in the second half.

“From experience, conceding, in the last minute, we knew what our job was and to make sure that we wouldn’t let that happen again,” Omeze said postgame. “We made sure we were always focused and on top of things and doing everything we can to not concede a late goal.”

In its next game on the road against Providence, another back-and-forth battle ensued. This time, like against Notre Dame, Syracuse came out on top.

The Orange led 1-0 at halftime, via Carlos Zambrano’s first goal of the season. Steban Lopera Betancur knotted the game in the 59th minute, but Omeze scored the game-winner with 20 minutes left.

SU’s win over the Friars marked the first time all season the Orange won three straight games — something they didn’t accomplish in 2023. Before this stretch, Syracuse had an uphill climb to make its third straight NCAA Tournament. Its place in the 48-team field is still up in the air, but SU has a chance to improve its resume across the final three games.

SU’s next test is a trip to Charlottesville for a matchup with Virginia. In their last five regular-season meetings, Syracuse has lost four. Then comes two straight games against arguably the best teams in the ACC. First, a meeting with No. 8 Clemson, the reigning national champions, which has won five out of its last six games.

Then, the Orange close out the regular season with a home bout against No. 4 Pittsburgh. The Panthers spent the last three weeks atop the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll. Two straight defeats halted Pitt’s momentum, but it remains a formidable task for Syracuse.

Yet, throughout this season, SU has proven it can stick with the upper echelon of the ACC. What’s shrouded in mystery is if Syracuse can put together a complete 90 minutes against those teams.

Published on October 16, 2024 at 11:46 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22