Syracuse men’s soccer falls 3-0 to No. 1 SMU in ACC semifinals
By: Evan Zaretsky |@evan_zaretsky
CARY, N.C. – 13th-seeded Syracuse men’s soccer (8-7-3, 1-5-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference) traveled to face top-seeded and No. 1 SMU (13-0-3, 6-0-2 in ACC) in the ACC Championship semifinals on Thursday in WakeMed Soccer Park.
Syracuse held possession through the first 10 minutes, but couldn’t get the ball inside of the box. SMU flipped that through the remainder of the first half. The Mustangs were attacking throughout the rest of the half, with the Orange getting some looks as well.
Things were looking good for SU, that it could go into the break tied up. That was until Orange midfielder Kelvin Da Costa was called for a penalty on Jaylin Mitchell in the 44th minute. SMU’s Emmanuel Mukisa entered the match to take the shot, and scored in the top right corner. Mukisa scored two goals in last year’s semifinal match against Syracuse, and added another one tonight. The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead into the half.
Heading into the second half, head coach Ian McIntyre said “We’re going to roll the dice and see what happens,” on the ACC broadcast.
Well, it was actually SMU that extended its lead. In the 54th minute, Andre Philibbosian ripped one from outside of the box in the top right corner, and Martinez-Basitidas couldn’t make the save. In the 65th minute, Stephan Soghomonian scored in the top right corner to bring SMU’s lead to 3-0, and that was how the score remained through the rest of the game.
The Mustangs totaled 20 shots, seven of which were on goal. The Orange on the other hand put up seven shots and just two on target. Syracuse couldn’t capitalize on its set pieces. SU failed to convert on all four of its corner kicks, and a handful for free kicks.
Top-seeded and No. 1 SMU eliminates Syracuse from the ACC Tournament. The Orange’s body of work has now officially concluded in front of the NCAA selection committee. SU will learn its fate when the field of 48 is announced on Monday at 1 p.m. EST. Be sure to follow my X @evan_zaretsky for updates on the ‘Cuse’s outcome.
