Cuse was unable to find much offensive momentum in their first loss of the season.
The Syracuse Orange men’s soccer team tasted defeat for the first time this season against local rivals Le Moyne on Monday night at the SU Soccer Stadium after they failed to dominate a weaker side and lost 1-0.
In the first competitive matchup between the two schools since the Dolphins became a D1 program in 2023, the Orange started slow and lacked incisiveness as their late efforts weren’t enough to overturn an embarrassing and historic scoreline. This result for Le Moyne checks in as the best in program history, with only three previous wins over D1 opponents.
Fans in both orange and green were out in droves for the Labor Day contest, making for a great atmosphere. The registered 2,134 (but likely closer to 2,500) fans at the contest checked in as the most at the SU Soccer Stadium over the last two seasons.
Although there was a sense of cool confidence about Cuse fans to start the match, it became clear in the game’s opening minutes that it would be a longer night out than expected.
Head Coach Ian McIntyre sent out the typical starting lineup for the match that has begun to solidify this season, with the exception of freshman Kelvin Da Costa earning back his starting berth after an excellent day out in the screening role against Charlotte.
The opening phases of play were dull and end-to-end with the Orange failing to assert their dominance over an inferior team. The failure to secure the game came to a head in the 15th minute as the Dolphins got out on the break, with Chimere Omeze making a rash tackle to take out the Le Moyne attacker in the box.
Although Tomas Hut got a hand on the resulting penalty kick, Jack Goodrich converted to make it 1-0 in favor of the away side.
Despite the decisive mistake, McIntyre praised Omeze after the match as “one of our best players all season.” There is a reason why Omeze has earned his spot in the starting lineup, and even after the mistake, he looked to be one of the best players on the field with his defensive play and progressive passing and dribbling.
Immediately after the Dolphin goal, Syracuse turned up the tempo, pressing Le Moyne much deeper into their half, a method typically unused by Coach McIntyre’s sides.
Before the goal, but especially after, Le Moyne had a clear and conservative game plan which consistently saw eight or nine of the outfield players lined up behind the ball, ready to defend. They further intensified this shut-up-shop performance by delaying every pause in play, and taking their time on throw-ins and free-kicks, which frustrated Orange players, fans, and coaches.
McIntyre could be heard yelling at his players from the sideline to ‘pass… pass’ or ‘slow it down’ as the Orange players looked somewhat flustered with their backs up against the wall.
This failure to link passes and control the game in the early stages began to further weigh on Cuse’s confidence, resulting in more mistakes and moments of uncertainty as time passed on.
The defensive efforts of the likes of Ziad Abdul-Malak and Max Huss in the Dolphin’s defense are to be commended, but the standout performer of the day was local boy Wyatt Dupell, who made an incredible eight saves in the Le Moyne net.
Cuse further dominated proceedings in the second half as they began to sub in more offensive players and push bodies into the Le Moyne box. In the second period, the Orange outshot the Dolphins 17-2 and also had five corner kicks, continually creating dangerous opportunities but not making them count.
The best chance the Orange had to equalize came from a set piece, where they were most dangerous. A ball floated into the box conveniently fell to the feet of Andre Cutler-DeJesus, who missed the open net despite the goalkeeper being out of position.
Freshman Braeden Smith was probably the outstanding player on the day for the Orange as he wowed fans with his face-melting pace and ability to embarrass defenders.
“He was really good, right?” said McIntyre after the match. “He was a handful [for them], and he’s really embracing this.”
Despite the efforts of Smith and the other plethora of forwards that graced the pitch in the final minutes, Syracuse was unable to find the equalizer as Le Moyne players rushed the pitch and celebrated with fans.
The Orange were greatly lacking a cutting edge in these later periods, a player who could make the killer pass, beat two defenders, or generate a moment of brilliance.
This has been a theme in the Orange’s early games as most of their goals have come from set pieces or scrappy, hard work. This department will need to improve going forward if the team wants to earn good results and qualify for the postseason, and will certainly be something to look out for as ACC play starts.
“I thought in the second half we were really good, we just ultimately didn’t find a way to break through,” said McIntyre. “We huffed and puffed. We had those many corner kicks, our service wasn’t as good as it should be, but once again, credit to Le Moyne. They did everything they could. They put their bodies on the line.”
This result marks a difficult end to the team’s longest home stint of the season, with three straight games at the SU Soccer Stadium.
The Orange will hit the road next time out as they head to Chestnut Hill for their first ACC matchup against Boston College. This fixture in Boston led to frustration last season as it ended 1-1 for the Orange, so the team should be looking to put on a convincing display to start ACC play and bounce back from this loss. Stay tuned at Nunes Magician for more updates on Syracuse soccer.