Men’s soccer crushes St. John’s, 5-0

Despite relentless rain, Syracuse men’s soccer controlled St. John’s from the opening whistle, cruising to a 5-0 victory Wednesday at SU Soccer Stadium.

Syracuse started strong as forward Sachiel Ming scored the opening goal in the eighth minute. The Orange continued to play aggressively and kept much of the action in the attacking third, earning five corner kicks compared with three for St. John’s in the first half.

Midfielder Ivan Irinimbabazi was a focal point defensively, helping Syracuse hold St. John’s scoreless in the opening half. Syracuse’s quick passing combinations allowed the Orange to maintain possession and create scoring opportunities.

As Syracuse continued to push through the rain and apply pressure, forward Pedro Gulli scored in the 39th minute off an assist from forward Jordan Grey. Just three minutes later, midfielder Kristjan Fortier added another goal to give the Orange a 3-0 lead.

Syracuse men’s head coach Ian McIntyre said the Orange’s success came from adapting their approach to the difficult conditions.

“It wasn’t a day for pretty soccer. It was kind of getting into our front guys, winning the second balls and then combining,” McIntyre said.

By the end of the first half, Syracuse goalkeeper Juan Martinez-Bastidas had four saves. The Orange outshot St. John’s 15-5, with six shots on goal compared with four for the Red Storm. Syracuse entered halftime with a 3-0 lead.

Despite taking a three-goal advantage into halftime, Syracuse continued to apply pressure. The Orange moved the ball quickly through the midfield and prevented St. John’s from establishing sustained possession in the attacking third.

In the 73rd minute,forward Dakota Jonke scored off an assist from Landon Darko to extend Syracuse’s lead to 4-0. Four minutes later, Darko scored the final goal of the game off an assist from Ming, giving the Orange a 5-0 advantage.

Syracuse continued to control the match in the second half, earning six corner kicks compared with one for St. John’s. The Orange ultimately outshot the Red Storm 24-13, held a 13-5 advantage in shots on goal and finished with an 11-4 edge in corner kicks en route to a 5-0 shutout victory.

McIntyre credited Syracuse’s pressure throughout the field for helping preserve the shutout.

“I thought we defended really well from the front,” McIntyre said. “I thought our wingbacks worked really hard to get pressure on the ball. And our midfield, with Jackson Miller, who I thought was really terrific, Nate, Christian and then Bryson coming in.”

The win improved Syracuse to 4-2 this season. The Orange will look to carry that momentum into their next matchup when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to face Boston College Saturday.