Syracuse Men’s Soccer the Next Victim of Late-Game Heroics – Draws Louisville 1-1.

By Josh Richardson | @joshrichy_04

After Tuesday’s 5-1 win over Canisius, Syracuse Men’s Soccer had a few days to prepare for its return to ACC play. After the W against the Griffs, head coach Ian McIntyre made it known that there was a large emphasis on this game against a “tremendous” Cardinals team. 

Last night SU drew Louisville 1-1 in a contest that -literally- came down to the last half-minute. The Orange and the Cardinals both put on defensive masterclasses in the first half. The two teams combined for a total of five shots during the first 45 minutes. From there, it picked up in the second half. Syracuse scored in the 73rd minute by Daniel Burko’s rebound off a missed shot from SU’s Nick Kaloukian. 

With just 27 minutes left and a match where neither team could generate much offense, it seemed this was all but over….. It wasn’t. With just 45 seconds to play in the second half, Cardinals’ Sander Roed put a free kick past Tomas Hut to equalize the game. The goal was eerily similar to the free kick that Hut allowed for the first goal in last Friday’s match against Virginia Tech.

This is a young team for Syracuse, but something that seems to be getting preached and emphasized within the program is physicality. Last night, it seemed to rear its ugly head a lot more than the Orange may like. SU picked up a season-high six Yellow Cards and was responsible for all but 1 in the match. The goal scored by Louisville was from a YC penalty on defender Chimere Omeze. While the freshman has been one of SU’s best players on the back line this season, this is the third time a penalty from him has directly led to an opposing score. 

Syracuse needs to cut down on penalties and miscues ahead of Tuesday’s contest against Cornell. The Orange stay at home to host the Big Red with kickoff set for 7.