Syracuse puts five past NC State in ACC Tournament opener
SU puts five past Wolfpack in postseason opener
The Orange notched their most lopsided win of the season on a snowy night at SU Soccer Stadium.
Following an up-and-down regular season, the Syracuse men’s soccer started its postseason with a bang, routing the North Carolina State Wolfpack 5-0 at SU Soccer Stadium in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.
With a loss potentially forcing Syracuse out of NCAA Tournament contention, Head Coach Ian McIntyre looked for his players to inspire the crowd and win comfortably.
“I think they’ve been terrific all year. I think they’d been awesome here [At SU Soccer Stadium]. We’ve had one of our best home records since my time,” McIntyre said. “I’m very proud of these guys.”
In the previous matchup on Oct. 22, Syracuse could only muster a late own goal for a draw against the gritty defense of the Wolfpack.
In this match, played amid snowflakes and 30-degree temperatures, SU left no room for mistakes in what would become the team’s largest victory of the season.
“We’ve said that we thought we had goals, and so at some stage, we were going to catch a team out,” described McIntyre after the game.
This game certainly proved to be a breakthrough for the head coach and his squad.
The Orange dominated the early proceedings, earning a few chances on goal, with the team pressing high up the field. To mitigate the Syracuse threat going forward, the Wolfpack took a particularly defensive approach, often setting up with five in the back and four in midfield just in front of them.
After 24 minutes of play, the slippery surface and high pressure from SU resulted in a glistening opportunity. With the Wolfpack caught out on the front foot, the Orange won possession. Senior defender Gabriel Mikina surged forward with the ball, smashing a shot low and hard with his right foot. The speculative attempt saw the ball skip off the slippery surface and under the NC State keeper.
Following the initial goal, the Orange maintained the pressure, getting even higher up the field than before.
This additional pressure paid off in the 39th minute, with a beautiful passage of play. A dinked pass from junior midfielder Mateo Leveque found graduate midfielder Felipe D’Agostini in the box. The Brazilian took a touch with his chest and one with his right to lay the ball up for graduate forward Daniel Diaz-Bonilla, who smashed the ball home.
The dropping temperatures were not enough to subdue the electric atmosphere at SU Soccer Stadium as fans screeched out in response to Diaz-Bonilla’s first goal of the season.
As the second half kicked off, Syracuse fans could smell blood in the air, getting behind their team at every chance. Ill-perceived tackles from the opposition instigated massive jeers.
Eventually, with the mounting pressure coming from both Syracuse fans and the high pressure from the team, the Wolfpack capitulated.
In the 71st minute, fans were blessed with yet another beauty of a goal as senior midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski volleyed the ball onto the head of Diaz-Bonilla, cushioning it down gracefully for D’Agostini to poke home.
“Felipe is a fun player to be with on the field and off the field,” Diaz-Bonilla said when asked about his relationship with D’Agostini after the game.
Just moments after the third goal, Diaz-Bonilla was involved again with a combination of touches just outside the box. He beat his man and whipped a ball into the back post. Arriving to capitalize was senior defender Jackson Glenn, who, to the surprise and delight of fans, confidently headed home to put Syracuse up by four and grab his first career goal.
Finally, the deadly duo from off the bench of Diaz-Bonilla and D’Agostini linked up again, capitalizing on a Wolfpack mistake. The move ended with D’Agostini rolling the ball to Diaz-Bonilla for an easy finish. This goal capped a masterful display from the two forwards, with Diaz-Bonilla scoring twice and assisting twice. D’Agostini also provided two and scored one himself.
“I think we’re really interested in writing our own story,” Diaz-Bonilla said. “I think there is a little bit of pressure, but there’s more of just excitement to be here and excitement to write a new chapter for Syracuse.”
Following this outstanding result, the team will head to Charlottesville, VA for a challenging test against a Cavaliers side that finished third in the ACC and has not tasted defeat in eight matches dating back to Sept. 22.
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