Men’s Soccer Handles Business Against Colgate

By: Andrew Selover | @AndrewSelover

CitrusTV Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter

Syracuse men’s soccer received a plethora of media attention following a 2-1 road upset over then-ranked No. 1 Clemson. Goalkeeper Russell Shealy and forward Levonte Johnson received ACC Defensive and Offensive Player of the Week honors respectively. Head Coach Ian McIntyre’s squad also jumped thirteen spots in the rankings to No. 3 overall. The Orange backed up the hype with a 2-0 win over in-state foe Colgate on Tuesday night.

With the victory, Syracuse improved to 7-0-1 on the year, tying the 2016 team for the longest undefeated start to a season in school history. SU’s stellar defense continued with another shutout. The Orange have blanked six of their eight opponents, ranking best in goals allowed per game in the ACC. The back line allowed just three shots on goal as Russell Shealy remained untested all night.

Offensively, Levonte Johnson and Nathan Opoku ignited their connection once more 35 minutes in. Johnson held the ball up with his back to goal before laying it off for Opoku to bend one into the bottom corner. The two strikers are now even for the team lead in points, each recording three goals and four assists in eight games. McIntyre has talked about the importance of finding second goals to ease the task of closing out wins. Jeorgio Kocevski did just that as he placed the dagger into the top right corner from just outside the box in the 82nd minute. The junior has now scored in each of the past two games.

Syracuse returns home on Saturday to host Virginia at 7 p.m. With a win, the SU would start ACC play at 3-0-0 for the first time ever. The Orange knocked off the Cavaliers 3-1 last year on the road.