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Seven days ago, Syracuse was reeling. A 6-1 defeat against then-No. 3 Clemson left the Orange humiliated. The loss was SU’s largest in head coach Ian McIntyre’s 14-year tenure.

The path didn’t get any easier for the Orange. They welcomed No. 3 Pittsburgh to SU Soccer Stadium for the regular season finale. The Panthers entered Friday with just one Atlantic Coast Conference loss all season and needed a draw to seal the regular season conference title.

Syracuse (7-6-3, 2-4-2 ACC) was thoroughly outmatched on paper. However, it didn’t matter. The Orange put in their best performance of the season, defeating No. 3 Pittsburgh (12-4, 6-2 ACC) 2-0. Kristjan Fortier and Nathan Scott’s strikes were enough to earn the Orange their first top-five win since defeating Wake Forest on Oct. 7, 2022.

“We’ve had a lot of tough nights here this year. So I just said to the guys, I’m just pleased for them to be able to enjoy this,” McIntyre said postgame.

With a loss Friday, Syracuse would’ve been highly at risk to finish below the .500 mark for the first time since 2020. It’s been a rocky road for McIntyre’s squad this season. In three of SU’s first four ACC games, the Orange dropped points from winning positions.

Along with the horrid result against Clemson, SU was thoroughly outplayed the week before in a 3-0 loss to Virginia. A loss would’ve sealed the Orange’s worst ACC point total since 2021. To turn things around, McIntyre left it up to his players.

In the locker room before kickoff, McIntyre kept it short and sweet. He thanked the seniors for their hard work and sacrifice before turning to the players for words of encouragement.

The tactic paid off, with Syracuse opening the scoring just five minutes in. Ben Rosenblatt sent a high arcing ball to the back post that died at the last second. Casper Svendby’s header dropped straight into the path of Fortier at the top of the 18-yard box. With a running start, Fortier smashed his first-time effort into the back of the net to put Syracuse up 1-0.

“Anytime you score that early, it gives you so much confidence and it gives everyone something to believe in and something to hold on to. And it showed tonight,” SU defender Sam Layton said.

Fortier’s tally was just the second time Syracuse struck first in the opening 45 minutes during ACC play. The last occasion came in SU’s conference opener against Boston College on Sept. 6.

Despite striking first, the task at hand remained large. Before Friday, Pitt’s offense was the second-best in the ACC with 16 goals in seven games and had only been shut out three times the entire season.

Though SU controlled the pace of play over the next 15 minutes and nearly doubled its lead. Daniel Burko latched onto a loose backpass, driving toward Jackson Gilman at the top of the 18-yard box. Burko slipped by him, toe-poking the ball toward the net. But he clanked his attempt off the inside of the post.

The Orange nearly paid immediately. Pitt came flying the other way with Casper Grening on the left wing. Grening cut inside and ripped a shot toward the goal, but it was deflected. The ball laid perfectly for Albert Thorsen, who took a touch and fired his shot on net. SU goalkeeper Tomas Hut saved it, quickly scrambling across to thwart the chance in the 24th minute.

Pitt recorded five shots on goal in the first half as opposed to SU’s one. Yet the Orange made them count while Hut remained solid in net as Syracuse took a 1-0 lead into the half. The end of the half marked the first time it had led at the break in ACC play all season.

Even though it was in unfamiliar territory, Syracuse looked comfortable playing in front. The Orange kept Pitt’s dangerous attack muted. The Panthers didn’t muster a shot until 30 minutes into the second frame. By that point, the Orange were up 2-0.

In the 70th minute, Syracuse earned its first corner kick of the half and just its second of the game. Elton Chifamba whipped an out-swinging ball aimed for Fortier at the near post. The ball missed everyone as Scott redirected a header to Chimere Omeze at the back post. Omeze’s shot was deflected back into the path of Scott, who made no mistake with his effort. The midfielder hammered the ball past Cabral Carter to double Syracuse’s lead.

“We’ve just lacked a little bit of quality and (had) a bit of naivety in moments. But tonight, we showed maturity, because you needed to, you had to leave it all on the line,” McIntyre said.

Friday’s result would not affect where the Orange would place in the ACC standings. With five points, Syracuse couldn’t move above 11th place. On the other hand, a win could prove crucial in providing much-needed momentum ahead of the ACC Tournament starting Wednesday.

Scott’s goal all but sealed that. Pitt was left floundering and looking for answers but found none. The Panthers fired five attempts, but none of them found the target as Syracuse’s backline remained sturdy. After defending one final free kick in the last minute, the Orange sealed their first shutout since Aug. 25. More importantly, they gave themselves a confidence boost heading into a win-or-go-home scenario.

“I thought there’s still some soccer left in this group, (and) nights like this show that we’ve got to a good group,” McIntyre said.

Published on November 1, 2024 at 11:52 pm

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