Syracuse Flaunts Offensive Depth in Win Over UC Riverside

By Ellen Burr

Korab Syla is hugged by his teammates after he scores his
first career goal against UC-Riverside Friday afternoon.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Four different players scored for Syracuse Men's Soccer in its 4-1 home-opening victory over UC-Riverside Friday afternoon. The match was the first round of the Central New York Classic.

The game showcased the versatility of Syracuse's offense as Liam Callahan, Korab Syla, Oyvind Alseth and Noah Rhynhart each chalked one up for the Orange. The Orange recorded 17 shots over UC-Riverside's 10.

"If you've got a guy who can bang in fifteen, twenty goals that's beautiful. That's fantastic," Syracuse coach Ian McIntyre said. "If not, you hope you share it around, so we created some good chances today and took some of those chances."

Although the Orange commanded possession for the majority of the game, redshirt junior midfield Liam Callahan scored Syracuse's only goal in the first half. For Callahan, the first goal of the game was also the first of his career.

"Unfortunately it took three years," Callahan said. "It took me a couple seconds to even realize I scored. But it was a really exciting moment."

The game picked up for Syracuse in the second half as Syla, Alseth and Rhynhart netted the next three goals for the Orange.

Like Callahan, Korab Syla also claimed his first career goal.  Syla scored in the 47th minute of the game and later tacked on an assist to Oyvind Alseth in the 59th minute. The senior midfielder out of Herkimer County Community College has displayed promise early on in the season, with a key assist in Syracuse's 1-0 overtime win over Bucknell last Sunday.

Redshirt Junior Liam Callahan takes a corner kick in the second
half of the game.

"I think just getting my first goal helps me a lot because it just gets my confidence so high," Syla said. "I have a lot more to look forward to going forward to the Rutgers game."

Syla's HCCC teammate turned Orange Ben Polk showed a strong performance against UC-Riverside as well. Coming off the bench, Polk recorded two assists. The match was Polk's first time on the field for Syracuse.

"Ben's been itching to get out their and it was nice to get him involved and he had an instant impact," McIntyre said. "He's a direct, physical player. It was a good lift for our team and a good lift for him."

Friday's game against UC-Riverside was Syracuse's first four-goal game since Bucknell last Oct. 21. The Orange continue on to the last round of the Central New York Classic, taking on Rutgers this Sunday at 7 p.m at the SU Soccer Stadium.