Men's Soccer

Syracuse finishes spring session 2-0-5

After seven exhibition games, Syracuse ended the spring unblemished.

The Orange faced teams from four different levels of competition, winning two games and tying five.

SU drew its first four games against the Rochester Rhinos of the United Soccer League, Ottawa Fury FC of the North American Soccer League and Division I opponents St. John’s and Siena. The Orange then defeated Buffalo, and beat Colgate before tying Division III national champion Herkimer County Community College on Friday night.

And while the team is still progressing, SU head coach Ian McIntyre was pleased with his team’s performance that was highlighted by strong defensive play and the introduction of freshman midfielder Julian Buescher.

“We tied a few more games we would’ve liked to have won,” McIntyre said. “We’ve still got some work ahead of us, but we’ve still got some talent.”



In its opener on March 7, the Orange battled Rochester to a scoreless draw despite having a multitude of chances in the attacking third.

The Orange changed its defensive lineup in the second half but was still able to keep the Rhinos scoreless.

Syracuse mixed and matched its back four all spring, but four goals against in seven games provides reason for optimism.

“We have a lot of guys on the bench that can come in and really make an impact,” sophomore goalie Alex Bono said. “Filling in the back four, we have a lot of options on our bench that can come in and be really good options for us.”

Opponents got their first glimpse at Buescher, who is in his first semester at SU. The German youth national player was named the top midfielder in the U-19 Bundesliga two years ago.

Older teammates credit Buescher for assimilating so quickly, as he’s already found his way into the starting lineup.

“Socially, he’s good friends with a lot of guys already, so props to him for doing that,” junior center back Skylar Thomas said. “He likes to get into tackles more than our previous players, so it’s good to have on the field.”

Against Ottawa Fury FC on March 29, Ekblom scored twice to help the Orange to a 2-2 draw.

On April 5, SU fell behind early against St. John’s after the Red Storm scored a goal on a rebound off a Bono save 10 minutes in. Two minutes into the second half, though, freshman Kenny Lassiter scored his first goal for the Orange off a cross from junior Grant Chong to help the Orange salvage a 1-1 draw.

The Orange’s first home games of the spring came on April 12 against Siena and Buffalo. After battling the Saints to a scoreless draw in the opener, SU shut out the Bulls 2-0.

Then SU closed out its spring slate on Friday with a win and a draw against Colgate and Herkimer, respectively.

“We only won two games out of (seven), so that’s not good enough for our standards,” Thomas said. “I would say we’re happy, but we’re never content with what we did.”

McIntyre was also satisfied with the team’s undefeated exhibition run, but noted how the real season starts in August.

Said McIntyre: “Spring’s great, but it’s an appetizer for the fall and we’re looking forward to the fall.”





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