Syracuse Men's Soccer Wins 2-1 Against Albany

Story and photos by Ellen Burr

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Junior forward Ben Polk scored a goal late in the 78th minute of the match to secure Syracuse's (8-2-1) 2-1 victory over Albany (5-5-1) Tuesday night. A sparse crowd of 627 people watched through a misty rain as Polk scored his 5th goal of the season. Sophomore midfielder Julian Buescher was credited with the assist.

"I knew I'd get chances," Polk said. "We're a good team. We create a lot of chances with what we have. I just knew if I made sure I got myself in the right positions, then I'd get the chances. And fortunately, I managed to put one away."

The Orange outshot the Great Danes 15 to 6, but the match was Syracuse's "sloppiest game of the season," Polk said.

Nanco Scores First

SU's first goal came 14 minutes into the match. Junior forward Chris Nanco scored it, working around the Danes' defenders in the box and sending the ball into the net. Nanco's goal was unassisted.

"I just shot, kind of blinked and missed it," Nanco said. "But I opened my eyes and it was in the back of the net, so I was happy."

Albany responded late in the first half with a a goal of its own. Freshman midfielder Carlos Clark headed the ball into the net off a corner by senior midfielder Philip Persson. At halftime, the score was tied, and Syracuse had a slight edge with seven shots on goal over Albany's five.

Second Half Surge

The second half was a different story. The Orange outshot the Great Danes 8 to 1 in the second 45 minutes of the match, and Syracuse finally managed to capitalize on Polk's goal.

"We weren't fully at the races," Syracuse Coach Ian McIntyre said of the challenging match. "Having said that, we found a way to win tonight. And we created enough chances to win this game. Any time, you just try to ensure that you keep playing, and you don't let your frustration levels to go up."

Looking forward: Syracuse Faces #2-UNC

The Orange will travel down to Chapel Hill this weekend to take on #2-UNC (9-0-1). The Tarheels are coming off a forceful 3-0 win against the University of North Carolina Wilmington Tuesday night. The Tarheels currently lead the ACC with 12 conference points. Syracuse trails behind with 7 points.

The game is scheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.

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