The Syracuse Orange men’s soccer team snapped its four-game winless streak Friday, topping No. 15 Virginia Tech, 1-0, at SU Soccer Stadium.
Syracuse moved to 9-3-1 while the Hokies fell to 9-3-2. Syracuse’s winless streak and a fall from third to 10th in the latest NCAA coach’s poll gave Friday’s win an extra level of importance.
Despite scoring just one goal, the Orange dominated the game, causing frustration for Virginia Tech. The Orange attack created lots of chances in the first 20 minutes and made it difficult for Virginia Tech [11] to get out of its own area or even complete a pass.
Most of Virginia Tech’s chances came on the counterattack when Syracuse had men forward in the opposing half. Syracuse’s positive play continued into the second half when senior Sergio Camargo [12] pounced on a ball inside the box and slotted it home quickly with 26 minutes left in the game. The goal came after multiple Orange attacks inside the Virginia Tech half throughout the game. Syracuse continued to dominate after that, spending the remainder of the contest in the Virginia Tech half, sending in crosses and creating opportunities to score.
Syracuse entered the game having lost three of its last four [13]after opening the season at a perfect 8-0-0. The tough stretch coincided with a difficult schedule as the Orange faced three teams ranked in the top 10 in a span of two weeks. Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre [14] was quick to praise his team for the win over Virginia Tech following disappointing results against similarly matched ACC teams.
“When teams are kind of matching up like they did tonight, there are pockets of space and I thought we did a good job getting in them, a lot of individual matchups. Look, they have got a lot of pace and athleticism in their team,” McIntyre said. “Our back three not just defended well, we attacked with those guys and we made numbers up and that was the difference tonight. I think we were good value for the win tonight.”
One key contributor in the game was sophomore Miles Robinson [15], the defensive stalwart who has been absent the last two games while playing with the United States under-20 men’s national team in England. Robinson had started all of Syracuse’s games until his departure and is tied for the team lead in goals, despite playing as a center back.
His calming influence in the back combined with his ability to confidently win headers and break up counter attacks had been missed by his teammates in their last two games.
“You saw the way he played today. The security you have at the back with him, Louis (Cross) and Kamal (Miller) was just fantastic,” Syracuse midfielder Mo Adams [16] said following the game. “As a midfielder, I am more confident when I have them behind me and when the ball comes in and you hear Miles' voice, you just get out of the way.”
McIntyre was also glad to have him back on the team following international duty, noting how important he is when going up against some of the bigger players in the ACC.
“He is still 6'1. It is great, especially in a game like this…really needed him tonight,” McIntyre said. “I thought he was outstanding on restarts. They are a big threat.”
Syracuse will return to action in a non-conference game at the University of Hartford (4-6-3) on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in West Hartford, Connecticut.
