On Friday, Syracuse traveled to Oregon State for its season opener and never trailed, putting all seven of its shot attempts on goal and earning just six fouls en route to a 2-1 win. On Sunday against Portland, the Orange took just five shots, tallied 25 fouls, and found itself on the other side of a 2-1 game.

Both teams struggled to get much going offensively early on, combining for just one shot attempt through the first 11 minutes. That’s when Portland (1-0-1) managed its first threat of the night, having a shot blocked and followed by a corner kick. The ensuing kick was thwarted however, and the Orange (1-1) took possession, looking to attack the Pilots’ side of the pitch.

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After failing to record a stat in SU’s season opener, junior Massimo Ferrin made his presence known for the Orange at about the 17 minute mark, putting a shot on goal from the top of the box. Portland goalie Kienan Weekes made the first save of the night, though, keeping the contest scoreless. But Ferrin wasn’t done, creating another opportunity 8 minutes later, this time for a teammate.

A Pilots shot sailed wide right of the goal and Syracuse pushed the ball up the field to Ferrin, who found fellow forward Tajon Buchanan just in front of the box. Buchanan sidestepped his defender and found a hole by the left post past Weekes, and the Orange was on the board.

“We still haven’t seen the best Massimo,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. “He’s gonna be an important part of us moving forward. We’ve got to get him in better spots. He’s a creative handful. I think he was good tonight, but he can be better.”

While the first 25 minutes of the game saw six shots and eight fouls, the following 20 minutes of the half were increasing choppy. The teams combined for 11 fouls and failed to record a shot, and Syracuse went into the break with a 1-0 advantage.

“I think the referees, especially in the second half, called it a little bit tight and maybe a little bit inconsistent,” McIntyre said. “It was a combative, competitive game, it wasn’t over the line. The fouls did disrupt the flow of the game a little bit.”

The dry spell continued after halftime, as neither goalies were tested through the first 12 minutes and the Pilots earned two yellow cards. But in the 57th minute Portland finally broke through, attempting the first shot of the half and converting on it. Benji Miller connected on a header to the right post for his second goal of the season, and the game was tied at 1.

Four substitutions by the Orange in the next 16 minutes failed to spark its offense, and Portland continued to stop the SU attack. Syracuse earned a corner kick but it was all for not, as the Pilots deflected it away and turned toward the Orange half of the field. An overzealous challenge in the penalty box by freshman Ryan Raposo got him a yellow card and gave Portland a penalty kick. Rey Ortiz snuck the attempt past SU goalie Hendrik Hilpert, and the Pilots took the lead.

The Orange couldn’t find its footing until the 89th minute, when it nearly tied the game with two last-chance opportunities. Raposo almost made up for his earlier blunder with a shot on goal from the left wing, but Weekes was there to make his second save of the night. Ferrin corralled the rebound and got off a second shot which sailed wide left, ending SU’s chance at a comeback.

“We’re still trying to work things out in the attacking area,” McIntyre said. “We didn’t have as much quality in the final third. Tajon, Massimo, Severin (Soerlie) were causing some problems, I just don’t think we executed that final pass and created enough to merit a win.”

Published on August 27, 2018 at 1:32 am

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