Entering the weekend, the Syracuse men's soccer team finds itself in a rather unusual position: a 2-11 record, yet still with a legitimate chance to make the postseason.
In the remaining three weeks left in the regular season, the Orange will face off against Big East opponents South Florida, DePaul, St. John's and Cincinnati with an eye toward a goal it has maintained all season long.
And despite its record, SU is still in contention for a berth in the conference tournament, as it has not been mathematically eliminated from the postseason picture.
"It hasn't been the good season that we wanted up until point," senior defender and co-captain Pete Hill said. "But there's still the potential to make the Big East tournament, which was our ultimate goal at the start of the season.
"We've had to cross off some goals already that we haven't accomplished, but that one is still on the table."
But the Orange (2-11, 1-6 Big East) will have to find a way to defeat No. 12 South Florida (8-2-2, 3-2-2) Saturday at SU Soccer Stadium for that potential to turn into reality.
"I really think we're going to be real prepared for this game," redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Jones said. "It's a ranked team that plays good soccer, and we're hoping if we can knock off an opponent like this that it will help us finish out the season strong."
Though the Orange is currently sitting at the bottom of the Big East's Red Division, a win this weekend would dramatically shake things up. If SU were to find a way to win at least two of its final four conference games, the odds of making the tournament then become somewhat realistic.
The top six teams from the Red Division will make the tournament, with an additional six coming from the conference's Blue Division.
"We're still playing for something," Hill said. "It makes it more exciting to go out and play knowing that if we can get our stuff together, then we can play for the Big East championship instead of just trying to win the last five games for something that doesn't really matter."
SU has been searching for a signature win to keep its spirits up and its postseason hopes alive. A win against the Bulls would be that statement victory and perhaps uncover the capabilities of a team that has shown flashes of strength at times this season.
And as downtrodden as the Orange spirit has been at times this season, having a reason to believe might just be enough to stay positive during the final stretch of the season. Because of that, finding motivation from within is something that shouldn't be difficult for the SU players against USF.
"We've generally had success against them up here," senior forward and co-captain Hansen Woodruff said. "So we're going to try and use the atmosphere to out advantage."
Against the Bulls, the Orange will look to capitalize on its home-field advantage. USF has never won in Syracuse, and as Hill suggested, the Bulls will have to endure some unfriendly Northeast weather conditions and a motivated SU squad to come out with a victory.
And as an added bonus, SU has only lost one of three matches in its all-time series with USF, including each of the last two meetings. The Orange tied the Bulls, 0-0, in 2008 and beat them, 1-0, in 2007. Both times, USF was ranked in the Top 25.
"If we're able to get a good result this weekend, it'll definitely pick our spirits up for the remainder of the season," Woodruff said. "So we'll just have to go out and play this game as if our backs are against the wall. We have to win this game."
aljohn@syr.edu
is a member of the 
