To ensure the Syracuse men’s soccer team keeps its focus for Saturday’s game at lowly Providence, SU coach Dean Foti reminded his team of Wednesday night’s Adelphi versus Seton Hall game.

The Panthers (2-6) lay waste to the Pirates (4-3-1), 5-1, in what could be the most stunning upset of a Big East team this season.

‘Seton Hall went down to play Adelphi thinking it was going to be an easy day,’ Foti said. ‘(Adelphi) is a team that has a record similar to Providence’s. So I told (my team), ‘If you’re thinking you’re going to go down there Saturday, and this is going to be easy, look what happened to Seton Hall.’ “

‘The first thing he mentioned was the (upset),’ forward Guido Cristofori said. ‘If we don’t go down there and perform, that same score is going to be against us.’

A Friars upset is possible. Providence’s 1-6 record is mainly the result of a team full of underclassmen, including six freshmen starters. The youth has cost the Friars close games in their difficult schedule.

‘We’re struggling right now from a results standpoint,’ Providence coach Chaka Daley said. ‘Because we’re young, every game we have flashes of very good stuff. But we’re getting a little bit better and better every game.”

But the goalkeeping hasn’t helped. Sophomore Jeff Newman started his first career game Wednesday night — a 4-3 double-overtime loss to New Hampshire — because of the ineffectiveness of senior Michael Greulich. He had surrendered 17 goals in six games and posted a 2.83 goals against average.

Two freshmen defenders man the Providence backfield. Daley blamed Providence’s defensive struggles — highlighted by a 5-1 loss Sunday to Notre Dame — on his young defense’s poor coverage.

‘We sometimes struggle as a result of lack of senior maturity,’ Daley said. ‘Not that my young guys can’t play, but they need some older guys to carry the load.’

Though Providence is winless in September, Syracuse doesn’t seem to be looking past it. In fact, the Orangemen may be giving the Friars more credit than most other teams Providence has played.

‘Sure, they have a lot of young players on the team,’ SU goaltender Alim Karim said. ‘But that just means they’re going to be more athletic and be playing all out.’

Said Cristofori: “We’re going to have to go in with the mentality that this is a top-notch team, and we’re going to have to play our best to win.’

The Orangemen will be without defender Eric Chapman for the second straight game. Chapman sat against Hartwick because of what Foti called “a mild concussion” suffered at Seton Hall. Midfielder Ryan Hall will once again fill in.

‘Providence is huge,’ Hall said. ‘We lost a tough one at Seton Hall (Saturday), and we can’t lose too many more games in the Big East. Everyone’s battling for the conference. No one’s really running away. If we could get a jump on people, that’ll give us a nice little cushion for the end of the season.’

‘The philosophy in the Big East is to win all your home games and then steal some points on the road,’ Foti said. ‘So when we go to Providence, (the Friars) are expecting to win. If we think this is an easy game, it isn’t going to happen.’

Published on September 26, 2002 at 12:00 pm