SU men’s soccer advances to Sweet 16
Men's soccer bound for Sweet 16
Following a regular season that featured its share of overtimes, shootouts and thrillers, it’s little surprise that Syracuse’s NCAA men’s soccer tournament opener would be any different.
The Orange defeated Penn 2-1 in overtime with a goal from senior forward Levonte Johnson that broke the regulation tie less than a minute into OT. With the win, No. 3 seed Syracuse advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 to face Cornell next weekend at SU Soccer Stadium.
Penn, which earned its NCAA spot as Ivy League champions, scored the game’s first goal off Nick Schimbeno’s header in the 52nd minute only to have SU’s Nathan Opoku respond with a goal eight minutes later.
“We’re excited to still have an opportunity to play next week,” head coach Ian McIntyre said after the match. “That was college soccer at its finest. You had two good teams leaving it out there, going toe-to-toe.”
In the NCAA third round, Syracuse (15-2-4) and Cornell will square off for the second time this year as the Big Red topped the Orange 2-1 in another close match on Oct. 4.
Syracuse's Abdi Salim (3) follows through on a bicycle kick as he's pulled down by Penn's Aaron Messer.
Members of the Syracuse soccer team celebrate after capturing a thrilling 2-1 win over Penn.
