Syracuse Men Beat No. 2 Virginia, 1-0

Story and Photos by Thomas Zhou

Syracuse, N.Y. -

Preparing for the game

 

Captain Skylar Thomas’ header gave No.18 Syracuse men’s soccer an upset 1-0 win over  No.2 Virginia Saturday at the SU Soccer Stadium. Junior goalie Alex Bono recorded his eight shutout of the year for SU (8-1-0, 2-1-0 ACC) in the win over the Cavaliers (4-3-1, 1-1-1 ACC).

The goal came in the 30th minute. Julian Buescher took the right corner which is usually taken by left-footed defender Jordan Murrell and turned it into an assist. The 6-foot-3 Thomas scored with a header, dominating Cavaliers' defenders in the box.

“We just switched it out,” Thomas explained about the strategy. “We used outswinger which means we are switching away from the keeper (Calle Brown) because he’s big and did well in there.”


The Cavaliers threatened the Orange using pressure to create opportunities in the first 20 minutes. The defenders in Orange were tested and Bono made two crucial saves to make sure Virginia never got the lead. After adjusting to the intensity, the Orange began to take control over the game. The four starting midfielders connected to each other well and contributed six shots altogether, nearly half of the team's 13 shots.



Audience cheering for the home team

The victory was the Orange’s eighth win in its nine games. The Orange has won four consecutive games after its 1-0 loss to defending national champion Notre Dame. The Irish score is the only one the defense has allowed..

 

“I think it is a very honest group,” Coach Ian McIntyre said, evaluating his team. “You are going to win games and you are going to lose some games. But if you feel that you have left everything on the pitch, then you are happy and I think we have been doing that.”

 

The attendance on Saturday was 2,019, second most the SU Soccer Stadium ever had. Syracuse will host its next opponent, Colgate, on Sept. 30.