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Syracuse men’s soccer did not make the NCAA tournament, missing out on postseason play for the second straight season. The Orange finished 56th in rating percentage index, which placed them outside the tournament’s 44-team field. 

The team rebounded from a stop-and-start, disjointed season last year that featured just two wins, neither of which came in Atlantic Coast Conference play. But Syracuse leaned on its depth in the midfield, with the emergence of striker Manel Busquets and solidified a transfer-heavy back line en route to an 8-8-2 overall record.

Head coach Ian McIntyre’s team kept it close all year, but through missed plays, costly errors or — like in the final game against North Carolina — a penalty kick conceded in the 103rd minute, SU ended up losing six of its eight games by one goal.

Syracuse opened the year with a 3-0 loss to Penn State, now the No. 12 team in the country, and then lost 1-0 to Georgetown, a top-five team nationally. The beginning of the season was something McIntyre said would prepare Syracuse for “the rigors of ACC competition.”

Syracuse went on to win two conference games, both surprising victories that propelled the Orange toward a national ranking. But slip ups, like tying Cornell in overtime and losing to Boston College on a goal in the 83rd minute, plagued SU’s season. A 2-0 upset win at home against No. 6 Clemson was followed by a 2-0 loss at Wake Forest.

Then, Syracuse’s season ended on a penalty conceded by Christian Curti, which led to goalkeeper Russell Shealy guessing the right way on the spot kick but unable to prevent the Tar Heels’ game-winner. In a season that saw growth from top striker Deandre Kerr and included McIntyre’s 100th win with the program, SU was once again stopped short of the NCAA Tournament.

Published on November 15, 2021 at 6:03 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt