HAMILTON — Syracuse men’s soccer goaltender Alim Karim showed the athleticism Tuesday night that proved why he starts in goal despite being just a freshman.

The showcase play for Karim came early in the second half. After SU defender Derek McGeehan failed to intercept a cross from Colgate’s Zach Stuppy, Karim was alone to stop Stuppy from putting the Red Raiders on the board.

Going on reflexes, Karim jumped to his right to stop the shot with his hands. Stuppy rushed the rebound and it hit it off the post, careening out of bounds.

‘He’s got quick hands,’ Syracuse coach Dean Foti said. ‘He gets his hands on a lot of balls, and that makes all the difference in the world.’

Karim played all 90 minutes and made 12 saves — the most by an Orangeman goalie since 1996 — on 21 shots in SU’s 2-0 win. He also kept all 10 Colgate corner kicks from the back of the net.

‘Bigger than the shutout was just the team winning,’ Karim said. ‘Coming out after our win against Georgetown (last Saturday), and coming up with a big win like this just feels great.’

‘Alim (was) tremendous,’ said junior defender Chris Aloisi. ‘He had at least five world-class saves. He kept us in the game.’

Karim’s effort could be the freshman’s breakthrough game. Though Karim’s now started each of the Orangemen’s first four games, Foti dubbed Tuesday night the goalie’s best.

Karim’s lunging save of Stuppy’s shot especially impressed Foti, who feared Colgate would gain momentum with a tally.

‘My reactions helped me a lot (on that play),’ Karim said. ‘Some of those close calls, I guess luck was on my side today.’

‘He kept them at zero, and that was a huge thing,’ Foti said. ‘It’s a huge letdown if you let that first one in.’

Published on September 10, 2002 at 12:00 pm