Men’s Soccer Defeats Cornell 1-0 in NCAA Tournament 3rd Round

By: Andrew Selover | @AndrewSelover
CitrusTV Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter

It’s hard enough to be the top five team in college soccer once in a season. It’s even harder to beat them twice. That’s what No. 14 Cornell failed to do tonight as No. 3 Syracuse avenged a 2-1 loss to the Big Red from earlier this season with a 1-0 victory in the NCAA Round of 16. Giona Leibold emerged as the hero with a game winning goal in the 83rd minute.

After the game, Ian McIntyre broke down the goal: “Russell has a big smile on his face because he got the assist. Giona had a lot of work to do. He has scored some big goals for us this year but none bigger than this.”

Cornell head coach John Smith discussed why he though the second game between Cornell and Syracuse was different. “I think sometimes people overlook us. I think maybe some of that went into the last game. People do that at their peril. As a result, I thought we deserved the win last time. We took advantage of that, but this time we are not a secret anymore. I thought Syracuse brought it more than we did.”

Another familiar team stands in Syracuse’s way as SU hosts Vermont in the NCAA quarterfinals next Saturday at 2 p.m. The Orange and Catamounts drew 1-1 earlier this season in Burlington.