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With the cancellation of Syracuse’s final Atlantic Coast Conference game due to Pittsburgh pausing activities under COVID-19 protocols, the Orange’s season ends with a 0-3-2 record and without an ACC tournament qualification. Despite the shortened schedule, the Orange’s season may go down as less a disappointment and more a glimpse into the program’s future.

After its lone exhibition game against Virginia and opener against Navy were both canceled, Syracuse took No. 2 Pitt to double overtime before falling 3-2. Against Louisville, the Orange jumped out to a 2-0 lead before conceding two goals late. On the road against Virginia Tech, Syracuse withstood 43 minutes down a man to come away with a point in a tie. At least another point was possible Friday night against Virginia until a controversial penalty earned the Cavaliers a 1-0 victory.

Head coach Ian McIntyre said Wednesday that he’s still in the process of learning his team. When Syracuse had played its fifth game last season, it was Sept. 2 and 15 games remained on the Orange’s schedule. Especially after the key departures of last year’s leading scorers Ryan Raposo, Massimo Ferrin and Severin Soerlie, the Orange stood to benefit a lot from an extensive pre-season and non-conference schedule. Instead they were thrown right into the ACC gauntlet, and despite not tallying a win, there were many positive takeaways.

Options in goal

For the first three games, junior Christian Miesch handled the goalkeeping duties after starting 17 games last season. After racking up 51 saves on 81 shots last season, Miesch appeared on a similar pace with five saves on eight shots.

But the past two games featured Russell Shealy, a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Maryland, stepping into the Orange’s net. Shealy impressed with 12 saves on 14 shots, most coming with the Orange down a man against Virginia Tech. The lone goal he gave up against Virginia was on a penalty kick in which he even guessed correctly on, but the shot went off the inside post with no chance of being stopped.

“No reflection on Christian,” McIntyre said of giving Shealy an opportunity. “Christian’s a good goalkeeper, and his response was exceptional. He helped Russell prepare the right way for (Virginia Tech) and his response since that game has been great.”

McIntrye said the Orange can only benefit from the goalkeeper competition, adding that he considers it a three goalie one with the inclusion of sophomore Andres Quevedo.

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Newcomers on defense

While the goalkeeping kept games close, the defense played its role as well. While experienced senior Sondre Norheim and sophomore Noah Singelmann led the way with three points each, the Orange also were boosted by new contributors.

Freshman Jeorgio Kocevski made his debut in the opener against No. 2 Pitt and produced a perfect cross that led to a Hilli Goldhar goal. Freshman Kyle Gruno played many minutes after debuting against Pitt as well, with McIntyre calling his efforts in that game “terrific.”

Sophomore Abdi Salim may have been the most impressive, though, creating several shot opportunities while also making numerous key defensive plays. Against Virginia Tech, the Hokies earned a corner with two minutes left in the first half of a tied game. The pass came in perfectly, but Salim jumped in to box out his marked man and send the ball out of bounds with his body, saving a likely goal. SoccerWire.com’s InStat Index ranked Salim as tied for the 18th-best overall men’s collegiate player this season — the Orange’s highest player listed.

Finding the right combinations

With limited game action, the Orange had less time to tinker with formations. While McIntyre’s preference is the 3-5-2, he is adamant about playing to his team’s strengths. In the opener against Pitt, McIntyre opted for a 4-3-3, converting Norheim and Simon Triantafillou into makeshift fullbacks.

But against Virginia, for example, McIntyre mixed in a 4-4-2. Then against Virginia Tech, McIntyre’s goal was to flood the midfield with the 3-5-2, which worked effectively until Amferny Sinclair’s red card.

With Luther Archimede’s first game red card losing him a game, the Orange have had even more limited chances to see all of its most potent offensive players in action together. Syracuse looked to Archimede, Goldhar, freshman Deandre Kerr and transfer Manel Busquets to replace production.

Kerr, who McIntyre noted has a “very high ceiling,” led the Orange with four points and two goals. While Archimede did not record a point, he produced a team-high 12 shots. Busquets added nine of his own and Goldhar earned three points including one goal. McIntyre said he also hoped to get transfer Matt McDonnell involved but he spent much of the brief season nursing an injury. Healthy against Virginia, he narrowly missed a game-tying goal.

Going forward, McIntyre said he’ll consider getting more of them all upfront at the same time while also tinkering with potential pairings. While there were many chances created by Syracuse’s offensive talent, the Orange more often than not failed to convert in the final third of the field throughout the 2020 season. With plenty of time to figure out the right combinations in 2021, Syracuse will hope to maximize the chances it couldn’t capitalize on this season.

“It’s getting that balance right,” McIntyre said. “You may need to give up one part of the game a little bit in order to get those guys but no, they’re four exciting guys and if we could get the balance right, that’s a key part.”

Published on November 3, 2020 at 10:26 pm

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