Orange men’s soccer scrap late draw against No. 10 Pittsburgh

The Syracuse men’s soccer team earned a valuable point against Pittsburgh despite going down early on Friday at SU Soccer Stadium.

“I think we’ll look back later in the year and look back on this one and say this was a good point,” Orange head coach Ian McIntyre said.

The Orange, who came into the game fresh off a statement 1-0 win away against #10 Notre Dame, set up in their typical 3-5-2 shape with sophomore forward Landon Darko leading the frontline and sophomore Juan Martinez-Bastidas in goal. 

The Panthers, coached by Jay Vidovich, set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with freshman forward Mamadou Tall serving as the attack’s point-man and senior wingers Anders Bordoy and Albert Thorsen providing width. 

Syracuse put itself in danger with a series of unforced errors in the opening 10 minutes. 

Sophomore defender Ivan Irinimbabazi, hero of the Orange’s win against Notre Dame, turned the ball over under pressure just 30 yards from Martinez-Bastidas’ goal. Minutes later, the Orange gave the SU Soccer Stadium crowd another scare when Martinez-Bastidas’ clearance deflected dangerously off the Pittsburgh press, but the Panthers failed to capitalize on either occasion.

The Orange grew into the game as it progressed. A diagonal pass from junior midfielder Kristjan Fortier found its way into junior Sachiel Ming inside the box, but the winger was knocked off balance before he could arm his shot, to the great displeasure of the crowd who had asked for a penalty.

Post-game, McIntyre reflected on the decision to not ask for a video review.

“I think there were a couple that my coaching staff said we should have, in hindsight, maybe challenged,” he said. “At the time, I didn’t think it was a penalty.”

At the 15th minute mark, the Orange had their first major goalscoring chance. A central combination resulted in freshman midfielder Badr Laghjibi finding junior right-back Chimere Omeze in behind the Panthers’ defense. His toe-poke finish dragged just a few inches wide right of the post. 

The Orange would soon regret that chance. A few seconds later, Pittsburgh’s Bordoy found himself in acres of space on the left. His low, left-footed effort forced a stretching save from Martinez-Bastidas, but Albert made no mistake on the rebound, slotting the leather into the bottom left corner. 1-0 Pittsburgh. 

The home team, bolstered by the substitution of sophomore striker Jordan Grey, found itself in dangerous situations, but lacked the final touch to concretize chances into an equalizer. 

The turning point of the match came in the 40th minute, when senior Pittsburgh midfielder Logan Oliver received two yellow cards in a 47-second span, resulting in a send-off.

The Orange’s newfound numerical advantage shifted the balance in their favor, especially as the second half got underway.

In the 51st minute, Grey found himself in yet another dangerous position. His shot looked destined for goal, but a heroic goal-line intervention from Panthers’ senior midfielder Cristian LoGrasso kept the score intact.

In total control of the ball, Ian McIntyre’s side tried, and tried again. Grey, Ming, and even graduate center-back Buster Honeywood took turns shooting, but met a compact Pittsburgh block. 

“They defended well,” McIntyre said.  “It’s sometimes tough to break down a group when they sit in.”

For much of the second half, eight children, going from section to section repeatedly chanting “Let’s go Orange, let’s go!” provided most of the energy the SU Soccer Stadium stands saw.

That changed with just over 10 minutes left to play.

With their 17th shot of the game, the Orange found an equalizer through graduate student Pedro Gulli, who cut across goal to head in a clever cross from Omeze. 

The SU crowd’s newfound energy was only interrupted by the PA’s announcement that the goal was under video review for potential offside, but would soon resume after the referee confirmed the on-field decision. 

Gulli, who now leads the team in goals scored this season with four, credited the goal to his striker instincts.

“I always know in the back of my head that there’s space,” he said. “And knowing with my size and my presence, I just knew I had to just flick it and just get that touch.”

McIntyre’s side chased a winner, and Gulli almost found his way to a spectacular brace with an acrobatic effort in the 81st minute, but the game ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Orange will travel to face Akron away on October 6, before returning to SU Soccer Stadium in an ACC clash against Louisville on October 10.