Syracuse Can’t Get Offense Going, Shut Out Against Notre Dame
By Noah Cierzan
CitrusTV’s Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Less than a week after a close loss in its opener, Syracuse traveled out west in an attempt to get into the win column for the first time this season. Notre Dame was coming off two straight losses, including a loss to the same Pitt squad that the Orange played on Tuesday.
The Fighting Irish struck in the 6th minute off a set piece, as Paddy Burns’ service off a corner connected with Jack Lynn’s foot into the bottom right corner of the net. That would remain the score for the next 86 minutes of the match.
Syracuse (0-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) could not get its offense going, and as a result fell to Notre Dame (2-2, 1-2 ACC) 0-1. SU pressed like they did in their opener, but the lack of Luther Archimede up top proved to be too much to overcome.
“We had a bit of a sloppy start,” said Syracuse Head Coach Ian McIntyre after the loss. “There’s a real steep learning curve in the ACC and we have a lot of new guys.”
With Luther Archimede not available for Sunday’s game, transfer Manel Busquets stepped into the forward role. In a game where Syracuse only got four attempts on target, Busquets got a great chance early one that he couldn’t convert. From there, the Orange really didn’t get anything going until five minutes left in the game.
Unlike in their opener, SU struggled to get any sort of possession going. Notre Dame did a really nice job of stifling any Syracuse advance, which made it easy on goalie Keagan McLaughlin.
The final five minutes of the game contained the most inspired play of the day from the boys in blue and orange. This included a Julio Fulcar chance inside the 18-yard box, but as with most opportunities Syracuse got on the day he couldn’t get the shot on net.
Syracuse now drops to 0-2 on the year, and while it seems like it’s early on in the season Ian McIntyre finds himself already a third of the way through the season. If the Orange want to compete for a spot in the ACC tournament, they need a result on Friday against Louisville.
ncierzan@syr.edu | @ncierzan
