SU men’s soccer ends in disappointing draw against New Haven

Syracuse Men’s Soccer hosted the undefeated New Haven Chargers at the SU Soccer Stadium for a Monday evening clash.

The Orange dominated in all categories of the box score except for the goal column. But the Chargers were also scoreless, and the contest ended in a 0-0 draw.

“Obviously disappointed with that kind of possessional dominance not to find a way to score,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. “It’s another team that we had difficulty breaking down.”

Play started off hot for Syracuse. Senior forward Michael Acquah took a penalty kick in the opening moments of the first half that could have put the Orange in business.

“Our game plan was catching them on the counterattack,” Acquah said. “We know we got speed and we got a penalty out of it.”

The penalty, taken by sophomore midfielder Sachiel Ming, was saved by New Haven goalkeeper Alessandro Bizzini, who dove to his left to make the big stop.

SU continued pouring play after play onto Bizzini and the Chargers’ defense, but despite control on offense, nothing was finding the back of the net. 

Syracuse and New Haven both matched their shots in each half. 

The Orange had 11 shots with four on target in each half. New Haven only had one shot each half, failing to register any on net. 

“This is why our game can be so painful at times,” McIntyre said. “We kept pushing right until the very end, but we didn’t find a way past the goalkeeper.”

Syracuse held offensive possession for the vast majority of the game, but could not get it done. Meanwhile, the Orange’s defense grabbed yet another clean sheet and proved it could keep the ball out of its zone for a full 90 minutes. 

Throughout the last six games, SU has only scored three goals. But the team still has some confidence before its schedule starts to become more difficult.

“No matter who the opponent is, we’re going to give 110%,” Ming said. “We’re going to come into our ground and defend it.”

McIntyre remains tied for the most wins in Syracuse Men’s Soccer history after Monday’s draw. 

The team now sits at 2-2-2 heading into ACC play against Stanford, which is the top-ranked team in the nation. The matchup against the Cardinal kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday at the SU Soccer Stadium.

Following that battle, Syracuse heads down to North Carolina to face No. 14 Duke. 

“We’re going to keep working,” McIntyre said.“I think we’re pretty good, and I think we’re close to being very good.”