Men's Soccer

Callahan provides multi-dimensional threat in first regular season game with Syracuse

Logan Reidsma | Staff Photographer

Syracuse's Liam Callahan prepares to kick the ball during the Orange's 3-0 season-opening win over Niagara on Friday.

Liam Callahan waited about eight months to play his first regular season game for Syracuse after arriving on campus in the winter.

On Friday, he debuted in fashion, utilizing Syracuse’s new three-defender formation to feature in both halves of the field.

The Villanova transfer wreaked havoc along the left side, playing a large part in the Orange’s second goal and creating several other chances in Syracuse’s (1-0) season-opening, 3-0 win over Niagara (0-1) on Friday afternoon at SU Soccer Stadium.

Callahan served more the role of a left wing back on Friday, which allowed him to get forward more often and disrupt the Niagara defense.

“(Head coach Ian McIntyre) knows we can track up and back the field without having problems,” Callahan said. “He just trusts us to be able to go back and forth and make sure we have responsibility with that.”



It didn’t take long for Callahan to pester the Purple Eagles’ back line, as he sent two crosses into the box from the left wing in the first five minutes of the game.

All afternoon, Callahan forced Niagara’s midfielders and forwards to drop back on defense, as he’d go from the position of a typical left-sided defender up to one of a left winger.

It’s a hybrid role that Jordan Murrell has played before, and one he says Callahan is adjusting well to.

“It’s just good helping him, keep talking to him, giving him some advice,” Murrell said. “When he doesn’t need it, he’s flying forward, getting crosses in and crosses are important, so if he does his job well, we all do our job well.”

With 21 minutes remaining in the first half, Niagara toyed with the ball in the box as the Orange was unable to clear. McIntyre screamed from the sideline for his defenders to find a man and get the ball away from danger.

But just as a Niagara chance seemed imminent, Callahan came up with a crunching slide tackle inside the box to halt the threat.

Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Callahan provided a game-changing play on the other end of the field.

Callahan stepped up from the left of his back line, intercepted a pass, dribbled upfield and fed Chris Nanco, who scored to give the Orange a 2-0 lead.

“It’s an instinct, you see a ball across and you see two players going at it, you say either I get this ball or they do,” Callahan said. “I put 100 percent into it, got it and gave it to Nanco, and he did the rest with it.”

The assist was somewhat of a culmination of all the progress Callahan has showed in exhibitions.

Though McIntyre said the final ball from his wingers could’ve been better in general, it was Callahan’s that virtually sealed the win.

“Liam’s had a good preseason,” McIntyre said. “That final pass was just a little bit off, and then you saw that quality service with the goal.”

And after his long wait to suit up for the Orange, Callahan’s debut was as promising as it was multi-dimensional.

“It’s a position I’ve never played before, so it’s something new to me,” Callahan said. “But having the freedom to go up and down the field and be able to actually get chances to score and have assists is exciting.”





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