Syracuse men’s soccer: Orange get back to winning ways after thrashing Canisius 5-1

The Orange snapped their four game winless run through a flurry of goals

The Syracuse Orange men’s soccer team (3-2-2, 0-1-1) brought their four-game winless streak to an end with a convincing showing against Canisius at the SU Soccer Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Orange, who were in desperate need of a home win and some momentum, called upon a ridiculous 22 players from their roster to contribute to the home win, with the game featuring a few key firsts for the team.

This result checks in as Cuse’s largest win of the season, and the five different goalscorers will also provide moral boosts throughout the squad to lift Cuse heads after a different period.

The Orange dominated in all facets of the game, having a much higher share of the ball through both halves. SU outshot the Griffins 29-3, and won the corner battle 12-4.

Gabe Threadgold opened the scoring for his second goal in Cuse colors, provided via a delicious cross from Giona Leibold for his first goal contribution back from injury.

The Orange missed Leibold’s quality and ability from the wide areas over the last year and a half, and Head Coach Ian McIntyre has explained that he knows Leibold can provide so much to the team, but that they need to pace him in his recovery.

After the first goal, it was really all Orange for the rest of the game. A bit over ten minutes after the initial goal, Andre Cutler-DeJesus bagged his first career goal for the Orange off of a brilliant ball in from Elton Chifamba following a set-piece scramble.

Before the end of the half, Daniel Burko scored his first goal since transferring to the Orange, with Cutler-DeJesus getting the assist. His first career goal (on his birthday no less) was a beautiful show of strength, hold-up play, and long-distance finishing.

This goal sealed a convincing first-half performance, but there was more to come in the second. Jason Smith played the second half in the net for his first minutes of the season. Nathan Scott grabbed his first SU goal off of an assist from Threadgold, and Michal Gradus converted a PK to seal a 5-1 win for the Orange.

Following this strong result, the Orange will dive head-first into ACC play as they visit Louisville on Friday night. This matchup brought the fireworks last season, and the Orange will be hoping to avenge the late goal they conceded by doing some damage in Kentucky. Stay tuned for updates on that game and more Syracuse soccer at Nunes Magician.