Syracuse held scoreless as Louisville takes 1-0 win

As they kicked off the first of the final four games of the season Saturday, Syracuse men’s soccer continued their push for a bid in the NCAA tournament. The Orange dropped an important match Tuesday at  No. 12 Akron, and they came into the game knowing that a win would give those hopes life again. 

Syracuse had a great chance in the 13th minute as Sachiel Ming corralled a long cross from Kristjan Fortier and managed to bury it, but it was called back for an offside.

The Cardinals took an early lead in the 22nd minute as Braydon Sellers finished a pass from Jack Boring, which ended up being the only goal of the match.

Heading into halftime, the Cardinals controlled shots and corners, and Syracuse needed wind in its sails. That seemed to come through in the form of physicality, as both teams combined for six yellow cards after the break.

Syracuse pushed back in the second half, earning several corners to finish the match with eight to Louisville’s three. Landon Darko and Ming both had great chances that were countered by Cardinal keeper Nathaniel Abraham to keep Louisville in front.

The Orange had a last gasp with two corners in the final eight minutes of the match. Both came close, but Syracuse could not cash in on either, and Abraham polished off a four-save shutout to give Louisville the win.

For head coach Ian McIntyre, this was a night where the stat sheet was full but the Orange just couldn’t get the right bounce. “We lacked a bit of quality,” said McIntyre. “Lots of crosses, lots of restarts, but the hardest part of the game is putting the ball in the back of the net.”

It hasn’t been the cleanest season for the Orange, but having beaten two ranked teams and tied another, they have a chance to sneak into the tournament, especially if they can pick up a few wins in the closing stretch. Dropping this game means that is now a taller task, but McIntyre is feeling good. “As difficult as this is, we’re not far off from being on the right side against these good opponents.”

The Orange make a trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina this Saturday to face Wake Forest in a game with huge ACC and NCAA tournament implications.