Syracuse Men’s Soccer blanks Loyola Maryland 2-0

The absence of freshman fullback Gabriel Oksanen (suspension) and junior midfielder Kelvin Da Costa (injury) didn’t curtail the Syracuse Men’s Soccer from a dominant 2-0 win Friday against Loyola Maryland at SU Soccer Stadium.

In its typical starting 3-5-2 shape, the Ian McIntyre-coached side set the tone early in the game with an aggressive high press, limiting the Greyhounds’ forward passing options and forcing them to retreat into their own half from kick-off.

Attempts by Loyola (0-3) to move up the field through the Orange’s aggressive press saw little success. Their long balls to their forwards also yielded very little, as Syracuse sophomore defender Ivan Irinimbabazi repeatedly asserted his dominance in the air.

Syracuse (2-1) dominated possession of the ball in the opening minutes of the game, racking up five corner kicks after only 20 minutes, but their attacks often lacked the touch of creativity that could turn possession into goal-scoring opportunities. 

That changed at the 23rd minute when freshman attacking midfielder Badr Laghjibi subbed into the game for sophomore Jordan Grey, the Orange’s top scorer this season. 

“The game tonight just needed a little bit of Badr,” McIntyre said. “He provided us something different, and I thought he was terrific.”

Laghjibi, who had only played 26 minutes combined throughout the Orange’s first two fixtures, brought a needed spark to McIntyre’s side- and to the SU Soccer Stadium crowd. 

Operating in between the Greyhounds’ defensive lines, Laghjibi drew oohs and aahs from the crowd every time he pulled off a trick.

“Every time I do some dumb move, the crowd screams, and it makes me happy,” Laghjibi said after the game. “I’m Moroccan. That’s the flow we play with, and hopefully it benefits the team.”

In the 25th minute, sophomore forward Landon Darko was inches away from putting the home team in the lead, as he slid to get to the end of a powerful cutback across goal from junior winger Sachiel Ming.

Two minutes later, it was Ming’s turn to come close to scoring after receiving a cross from Junior right-back Chimere Omeze. His header went just over the crossbar.

The breakthrough for the Orange came at the 34th minute, after another round of substitutions. 

Laghjibi trapped a pass at the edge of the box, flicked it over himself to avoid the onrushing defender, before setting up sophomore midfielder Bryson Rodriguez for an uncontested strike.

Otto’s Army erupted in cheers celebrating the opener, and it would barely have time to catch its breath as, just two minutes later, the Orange doubled the lead. 

Laghjibi, this time operating from the right side, rushed into the box, drawing two defenders before releasing the trailing freshman Dario White with a clever backheel pass.

White’s looping cross found graduate striker Pedro Gulli alone at the back post for a point-blank header past O’Keefe: 2-0 to the Orange. 

Gulli, Rodriguez, White and Laghjibi — all four players directly involved in the two goals — had all been substituted on within the past 11 minutes. 

“The coaches were geniuses for making those substitutions,” McIntyre joked after the game. ”I thought we were on top of the game. We just needed a little bit of quality in that final third,” he then explained. 

It was a near-perfect half for the Orange, who saw their captain, senior midfielder Nathan Scott, walk off injured at the 43rd minute after a collision moments earlier, though the extent of the injury remains unclear for now. 

Syracuse’s domination continued in the second half, even more so after Loyola freshman defender Timi Adekunle was sent off in the 61st minute after two yellow-card offenses.

The Orange generated multiple clear-cut scoring chances, but Felix Huebner, a freshman goalkeeper who subbed on for O’Keefe at halftime, pulled off five saves in the period. 

For McIntyre, a third goal would have been nice, but it’s nothing to lose sleep over. 

“It got the job done,” he said. “It’s an important win for us to bounce back, and now it sets us up for another big game against a really good Iona team on Monday.”