Syracuse Men’s Soccer gets Pummeled by SMU 5-1 in ACC Tournament Semifinal

WakeMed Soccer Park and Cary, North Carolina have been extremely kind to Syracuse men’s soccer. A 2022 ACC Tournament title here, followed by an NCAA Championship. But tonight, all of those memories were a distant past. Seventh-seeded SMU dominated the number six-seeded Syracuse Orange 5-1. After Syracuse held SMU scoreless just over a month ago, the Mustangs totaled four goals in just a 24-minute span tonight.

“I thought we had an intensity and a physicality up at Syracuse, playing at home as well,” head coach Ian McIntyre said after the loss. “They made some adjustments, did a really good job of stretching the field, and we had a bad night.”

After the loss, Syracuse’s body of work has officially concluded in front of the NCAA selection committee. But the Orange don’t sit here in an ACC semifinal without some massive resume-boosting wins. And with that, head coach Ian McIntyre thinks Cuse has done enough.

“I think we’re a good team, I think our body of work, we played a really tough, top ten, top 15 schedule in the country, we’ve won some big games,” he said.

Syracuse’s fate now rests with the NCAA selection committee. After spending over a week in the Tar Heel State, the Orange are excited to get home and gear up for decision day.

“We’re going to be emotionally and physically banged up for a few days, but it’s all part of it,” coach McIntyre said. “We’ll get us home, take care of ourselves physically, learn our fate Monday afternoon, and then prepare for the next one.”

It’s been a stark contrast for Syracuse this season. In the middle of September, the Orange sat at 2-4-2. Now they leave Cary with a 9-7-3 record, with a trio of wins against teams in the top 30 of the NCAA’s RPI metric. Time will tell if that’s enough to reach the field of 48. For now, reporting from WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, Adam Hipsky, CitrusTV.