SU men’s soccer takes 3-0 win in brush with Colgate
SU men's soccer beats Colgate 3-0 at home
Amid a relentless conference schedule, the Syracuse men’s soccer team (6-5-1) secured an important three points at home Tuesday night against in-state rival Colgate (0-11-0).
Though the Raiders came into the matchup winless on the season, the Orange know they’re in no position to take any game for granted.
“One of our goals is trying to play postseason and get an invitation to the NCAA Tournament,” head coach Ian McIntyre said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to win your midweek games.”
The match was also the first action for goalkeeper Russell Shealy in over a month, as the redshirt junior had been nursing an ankle injury. Shealy credited his defense for his ability to post a clean sheet in his return.
“I didn’t have much to do, which is always good,” Shealy said. “(Those guys) put in the work they needed to.”
Most of the first half melted by uneventfully, but the dam broke for Syracuse just before halftime. Sophomore midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski sent a brilliant ball into the box from deep on the left-wing, and freshman forward Francesco Pagano bounced a header past Colgate goalie Andrew Cooke to break the deadlock.
“Great buildup from the team,” Pagano said. “Great ball, I was just there to put it in.”
The second half was a bit more eventful, as senior forward Manel Busquets found the back of the net with a turnaround shot in the 59th minute. Sophomore forward Deandre Kerr created that opportunity for Busquets by navigating his way into the box and finding the passing lane.
As the match appeared to be winding down, fireworks for Syracuse came in the form of freshman forward Julius Rauch’s first collegiate goal. The Dusseldorf, Germany native outworked both Cooke and an accompanying defender for the loose ball in front of the net.
“The kid’s in the weight room at 6 a.m. before class,” Pagano said about his teammate. “You could tell what it meant to everybody, not just to him. We love him.”
The Orange will look to carry over the momentum from the win into their crucial ACC tilt with NC State on Friday. Syracuse currently sits in fourth place in the Atlantic division, and with a loss, they would fall out of position for the conference tournament. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. at SU Soccer Stadium.